World
09:48, 22-Dec-2018
UN approves team to monitor ceasefire in Yemen's port city
Updated
09:00, 25-Dec-2018
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The United Nations Security Council on Friday unanimously approved the deployment of a UN advance team to monitor a ceasefire in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah in Yemen.
The resolution came after UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden last week that saw Yemen's warring parties agree to a ceasefire and a withdrawal of fighters in Hodeidah, the key gateway for aid and food imports in the country.
Under the resolution, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was authorized to deploy, for an initial period of 30 days, an advance team to begin monitoring the ceasefire.
That team, led by retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert, is due to arrive in Yemen shortly, said a UN spokesman, adding that the personnel will not be uniformed or armed.
Houthi fighters hold their rifles during a rally in Sana'a supporting the ceasefire, December 19, 2018. /VCG Photo
Houthi fighters hold their rifles during a rally in Sana'a supporting the ceasefire, December 19, 2018. /VCG Photo
The council also asked Guterres to submit proposals by the end of the month on substantive monitoring operations for the ceasefire and redeployment of forces; support for the management of and inspections at the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Issa; and strengthening of the UN presence in the Hodeidah region.
The resolution, submitted by the UK was subjected to tough negotiations after the U.S. raised its objection and came up with its own draft version. It was only agreed after it was stripped of much the language on guaranteeing humanitarian deliveries and the need for accountability for war crimes.
The U.S. had also wanted to condemn Iran for breaching an arms embargo on Yemen, but Russia objected, diplomats said. Iran has repeatedly denied accusations that it has supplied weapons to Yemen's Houthis.
The UN said that as many as 20 million people in Yemen were food insecure, calling the situation the "world's worst humanitarian crisis."
(Top image: United Nations Security Council members vote on a resolution about Yemen's security at UN Headquarters in New York, December 21, 2018. /VCG Photo)
Source(s): Reuters