UN team arrives in Yemen to monitor Hodeida ceasefire

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00:32

A United Nations team arrived in Yemen on Saturday to monitor a fragile ceasefire in the rebel-held city of Hodeida, the latest push to secure peace in the devastated country.

It came a day after the UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the deployment of observers to Hodeida, a lifeline port city which serves as the entry point for the majority of imports to war-torn Yemen.

The team led by Patrick Cammaert, a retired Dutch general, was welcomed on arrival by Saghir bin Aziz, a general who heads the government team in a joint committee, along with Huthi rebels, tasked with organizing the withdrawal of troops from Hodeida.

After meeting with leaders in Aden, Cammaert is due to travel to the rebel-held capital Sanaa and onwards to Hodeida, a Yemeni official said.

Hodeida is held by the Huthi rebels and has been subjected to an offensive by pro-government forces, backed by a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia.

A halt to fighting in the strategic port city follows intense diplomatic efforts which culminated in peace talks last week in Sweden, where the warring parties agreed to the truce that came into force on Tuesday.

The Security Council resolution that approved the observer mission also endorsed those prior negotiations.

The UN monitoring team could consist of 30 to 40 people, according to diplomats, and aims to secure the functioning of Hodeida port and supervise the withdrawal of fighters from the city.

(With input from AFP)