UN confirms withdrawal of Yemeni rebels from seaports

THE United Nations said yesterday that a Yemeni rebel withdrawal from key Red Sea ports was proceeding as planned, despite the government accusing insurgents of faking the pullout.

The port of Hodeida serves as a lifeline for millions in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country, which has been pushed to the brink of famine by more than four years of war.

Yemen’s government had accused rebels of a “policy of deception” after they announced the withdrawal in a long-delayed move agreed under a ceasefire deal last year.

But the UN, which said it had teams monitoring the Hodeida, Saleef and Ras Issa ports, later reported that the pullout had gone “in accordance with established plans”.

It also confirmed that the coastguard had taken over responsibility for security at the three sites after a Houthi rebel withdrawal had begun on Saturday.

Government officials had earlier cast doubts over the handover process, saying it was unclear who was taking control of the ports.

The pullback is part of a December truce agreement brokered by the UN between the Saudi-backed government and Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

Hodeida’s port is the conduit for the vast majority of aid and imports into Yemen, but observers said it was too soon to say if the withdrawal represented genuine progress.

“The agreement is very difficult to execute because the lines are blurry and each side interprets it the way it wants to,” said Farea al-muslimi, a visiting fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank. “The next two weeks will show if this is a handover or yet another hangover.”