Local Editor
The United Nations Security Council has called on Yemen’s warring parties to pull their forces out of the Red Sea port city of Hodeida and two other ports “without further delays” under a recent UN-brokered ceasefire deal.
In a statement on Monday, the 15-member UN body expressed concern over alleged violations of the Hodeida ceasefire agreement, which was reached last December in Rimbo, a town near the Swedish capital Stockholm, between Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement and the former Saudi-backed regime.
“The members of the Security Council called on the parties to seize this opportunity to move towards sustainable peace by exercising restraint, de-escalating tensions, honoring their commitment to the Stockholm Agreement and moving forward with swift implementation,” the council said.
The council further asked the UN’s Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths “to continue to keep them closely informed of developments so that they may consider further action as necessary in support of a political settlement.”
The Houthi movement and forces loyal to the Riyadh-backed regime of ex-president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi have, over the past weeks, traded accusations of truce violations in Hodeida, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis.
The two sides missed a January 7 target to withdraw their forces from Hodeida as they disagree on who should control the city and ports.
Meanwhile, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said representatives from both parties met for a second day on a ship in the Red Sea on Monday and “reiterated their commitment to implementing the Hodeida aspects of the Stockholm agreement.”
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates launched the Hodeida offensive in June 2018, but faced strong resistance from Yemeni armed forces — led by the Houthis — as well as the city’s residents.
That offensive was part of a broader Saudi-led military campaign, which has been underway against Yemen since March 2015.
The war has, however, failed to achieve the goal of reinstating the ex-Hadi regime, thus pushing the Saudi-backed side into peace talks with the Houthi movement, which has been both running state affairs and leading the armed forces in defending the country against the Riyadh-led aggression.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
