Local Editor
Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah revolutionaries have had no military presence in three Red Sea ports since their withdrawal a month ago, the head of a UN mission patrolling the sites said Wednesday.
General Michael Lollesgaard confirmed in letters to Yemen's popular Ansarullah movement and the resigned Hadi regime that "since May 14, the Houthi military presence was not detected in the ports by regular verification patrols" carried out by the UN.
Lollesgaard asked the Houthis to remove "all military manifestations, including trenches" from Hodeida port, a key entry point for humanitarian aid to Yemen.
The Houthi pullback from Hodeida, Saleef and Ras Issa last month marked the first concrete step to implement a ceasefire deal reached in Sweden six months ago.
The revolutionaries handed over control of the ports to a "coast guard". And the Saudi-backed resigned Hadi regime forces are yet to withdraw.
Lollesgaard said in a statement that the Houthi pullout from the ports was "significant" and had transformed the ports into a "civilian space" for Yemen's port authorities to carry out their work, with UN support.
Under the Stockholm agreement, Houthi fighters and Hadi loyalists are to carry out a two-phase pullback from Hodeida and the ports, but negotiations are continuing on further redeployments.
The pullback from the three ports represent only part of the initial phase of the redeployment.
The conflict between the Saudi-backed resigned regime and Yemen’s Houthi revolutionaries has killed tens of thousands of people and triggered the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
