UN: Houthis' redeployment in Hodeidah must respect Stockholm deal

World
Europe

The United Nations (UN) welcomed any redeployment of Yemen's Houthi rebel forces away from the port city of Hodeidah on Sunday, but said this should be independently verified to ensure it is in line with ceasefire agreement reached in Stockholm earlier.

On Saturday, the Houthi forces said it had started to leave the port of the Red Sea city as part of a UN-sponsored ceasefire signed in Stockholm this month with the Saudi-backed government.

The group said its fighters were withdrawing as specified in the agreement, handing control to local units of Yemeni coastguards who were in charge of protecting ports before the war. These will be under UN supervision.

Members of the Yemen Coast Guard at the entrance of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, December 29, 2018. /VCG Photo

But the Saudi-led military coalition, which intervened in Yemen in 2015 to restore President Abd-Rabu Mansour Hadi, dismissed the move as it fears that the coast guards may remain loyal to the Houthi-controlled Sana'a government after the withdrawal.

"Any redeployment would only be credible if all parties and the UN are able to observe and verify that it is in line with the Stockholm Agreement," said the UN.

The UN said on Friday both parties had agreed to begin opening humanitarian corridors, starting with the key coastal road between Hodeidah and Sana'a, the Houthi-held capital.

Retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert (C) arrives at the port of Hodeidah, December 29, 2018.

However, it said in Sunday's statement that the opening did not take place.

Retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert, head of a UN advance team in charge of monitoring the ceasefire, "expressed his disappointment" in a meeting with the Houthis at the port of Hodeidah on Saturday.

The international community has been trying for months to avert an all-out government assault on Hodeidah, the entry point for most of Yemen's commercial goods and aid supplies, and a lifeline for millions of Yemenis on the verge of starvation.

People dance as they attend a wedding on a street in the port city of Hodeidah, days after a ceasefire was ratified by Yemen's warring parties, December 22, 2018. /VCG Photo

Under the Stockholm Agreement, both parties agreed on a ceasefire in Hodeidah and to withdraw their respective forces.

International monitors will be deployed in Hodeidah and a Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) including both sides, chaired by Cammaert, will oversee implementation. The committee started its meetings this week.

According to the UN, both parties are due to present detailed plans for a full redeployment to Cammaert at the next RCC meeting on January 1.

Source(s): Reuters