Militia willing to hand over Hodeida to UN

AL HOUTHIS ARE FINDING THEMSELVES IN AN INCREASINGLY WEAKENED POSITION

Al Houthi militants in Yemen could be finally caving in under the massive pressure of an ongoing offensive on Hodeida.

The Iran-backed militants have indicated they would be willing to hand over management of Hodeida port to the UN, a potential breakthrough in the three-year conflict, according to Reuters sources.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition has long called for Al Houthis to hand over control of the port city to the UN, which they rejected many times.

But a recent flash offensive on the port city has tipped the scales in favour of the coalition where Al Houthis have sustained major losses.

Since then, the coalition has said that the port should be handed over to the Yemeni government and not the UN.

By accepting the offer to hand over the port to the UN, Al Houthis are finding themselves in an increasingly weakened position. Speaking earlier at the UN, Saudi Arabia’s UN ambassador, Abdullah Al Mouallimi, reiterated the coalition’s demand that Al Houthis quit the city entirely.

“On the ground, what we are offering is for the Houthis to hand over their weapons to the government of Yemen and to leave, to leave peacefully and to provide information about the locations of the mines and improvised explosive devices and so forth,” Mouallimi said.