UK's Hunt says Yemen peace deal 'could be dead within weeks'

World
Europe

A peace process in Yemen's main port city "could be dead within weeks" without more committed efforts from both sides, said British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt on Sunday.

The agreement to implement a troop withdrawal in Hodeidah, a principle lifeline for two-thirds of the country's population, by January 7 was intended to clear the way for wider negotiations to end the four-year war but progress has been slow.

The Yemeni government and the rebel Houthi movement have yet to implement the UN-brokered plan of the pull-out and redeployment of forces around the Red Sea port city.

The plan also involves the release of thousands of prisoners, which has also not yet taken place.

Armed Houthi fighters during a rally supporting the ceasefire and ending the war in Sana'a, Yemen, December 19, 2018. /VCG Photo

"We are now in last chance saloon for the Stockholm peace process," Hunt said in a statement during a visit to Yemen. "The process could be dead within weeks if we do not see both sides sticking to their commitments in Stockholm."

In Yemen, 80,000 children had already starved to death, said Hunt, adding that more than 20 million people were on the brink of starvation.

At least 6,800 civilians have been killed and 10,700 injured in the fighting, according to the UN.

Children stand near their hut at a makeshift camp for internally displaced people near Sana'a, Yemen, January 28, 2019. /VCG Photo

Speaking from the southern port city of Aden, Hunt urged the two sides to take the risks necessary to secure peace.

The British foreign secretary's visit to Aden follows meetings with Yemen's President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and Saudi officials in Saudi Arabia and with Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdul Salem in Oman.

In February, UN officials said they had gained access to a vast store of food in Hodeidah for the first time in six months. Though the supply is enough to feed 3.7 million people for a month, the UN had warned the grain faced a risk of rotting.

(With input from agencies)