Tuesday deadline for cease-fire in Hodeidah
UN envoy urges de-escalation after new clashes in port city
Both sides in the Yemen conflict have agreed to implement a UN-brokered cease-fire in Hodeidah from Tuesday amid continued fighting in the Red Sea port city.
“While the Hodeidah agreement states an immediate start of the cease-fire, it is normal that it takes 48-72 hours to be communicated at the operational level,” a UN source said. “We expect the cease-fire to be implemented starting Tuesday.”
The UN is trying to avert a fullscale assault on Hodeidah by Ye- meni government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition. The port is the entry point for most of Yemen’s commercial goods and aid supplies. However, it is also a smuggling route for Iranian weapons supplied to Houthi militias, including parts for missiles used to attack Saudi Arabia.
A peace deal hammered out after seven days of talks in Sweden last week agreed on a cease-fire in Hodeidah, the deployment of international monitors and the withdrawal of all armed forces within 21 days.
The UN’s envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, called on Sunday for both sides to respect the cease-fire after repeated clashes between the two sides threatened to unravel the Swedish accord.
“The special envoy expects the two parties to respect their obligations as per the text and spirit of the Stockholm Agreement and to engage in the immediate implementation of its provisions,” Griffiths said.
Clashes shook Hodeidah on Sunday after airstrikes and deadly fighting overnight on the outskirts of the city. Each side accused the other of violating the cease-fire.
One Hodeidah resident described the fighting as “fierce” and jets could be heard overhead throughout the night until about 5 a.m. on Sunday. “There are sounds of jets and airstrikes, but we don’t know what they are targeting,” another resident said.
At least 22 Houthis and seven pro-government troops were killed on Saturday night in clashes and airstrikes in Hodeidah province. Seven Houthis were captured in a militia attack on Al-Durayhimi, about 20km south of Hodeidah city, a government military source said.
The US on Sunday commended those who took part in the Sweden talks.