In turning down a meeting with the United Nations’ Yemen envoy, the Houthi rebels missed out on a chance to show they are serious about ending the war, the State Department said Friday. 

“There is a fair deal on the table that will bring immediate relief to Yemeni people,” the department said. “The Houthis passed up a major opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to peace and to make progress on this proposal by refusing to meet with UN Special Envoy [Martin] Griffiths in Muscat — especially given the Republic of Yemen Government’s stated readiness to reach an agreement to end the conflict.”

The Houthis, who control the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, are fighting a Saudi-led military coalition that intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015 on behalf of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. 

The grueling war has left 20 million Yemenis — roughly two-thirds of the population — in need of humanitarian aid to survive. The UN estimates 16 million people will experience hunger in the next year and some 400,000 children could starve to death.