The Daily Star
A cease-fire in Yemen’s battleground port city of Hodeida and its surroundings went into effect at midnight Monday local time, after renewed fighting threatened the hard-won accord struck in Sweden. The deal announced Thursday between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and the Houthi rebels included an “immediate cease-fire” in Hodeida, whose Red Sea port serves as a crucial gateway for humanitarian aid.
A U.N. official, who requested anonymity, told AFP that the delay to the halt in hostilities until midnight (2100 GMT) Monday was necessary for “operational reasons.”
An official in the Arab military coalition confirmed the timing, adding that details on implementing the truce deal “were not clear at the beginning.”
The coalition “has no intention of violating the agreement … unless the Houthis violate and dishonor it,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Residents in Hodeida and the surrounding areas have reported fierce fighting and airstrikes in recent days, as clashes continued between government forces and the Iran-aligned Houthis.
At least 29 fighters, including 22 Houthi rebels, were killed Saturday night in Hodeida province, a pro-government military source said.
Two Hodeida residents reached by telephone said that they could hear intermittent clashes to the east and south of the city Monday.
A pro-government military official said that there were sporadic clashes, adding that a fire erupted in one of the factories in the east of the city due to strikes Sunday night.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) voiced alarm about “the continuous fighting” in Hodeida.
The medical aid group said its teams on the ground were treating victims of gunshots, shelling and airstrikes, urging warring parties “to respect the presence of civilians and health infrastructures”.
U.N. envoy Martin Griffiths said Sunday that the U.N. was working with both sides to ensure the ceasefire accord was “implemented timely and properly.”
The truce is supposed to be followed by the withdrawal of fighters from Hodeida.
A prisoner swap involving 15,000 detainees is planned and a “mutual understanding” was reached to facilitate aid deliveries to Yemen’s third city Taiz – under the control of loyalists but besieged by rebels. The two sides also agreed to meet again in January for more talks to define the framework for negotiations on a comprehensive peace settlement.
The coalition official told AFP Monday that the agreement stipulated the rebels should withdraw from all ports in Hodeida by midnight Dec. 31 and that both pro-government forces and Houthis pull out of the city completely by midnight Jan. 7.
Impoverished Yemen has been mired in fighting between the Houthi rebels and troops loyal to President Abed Rabbou Mansour Hadi since 2014.
The war escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition stepped in on the government’s side.
The conflict has since killed nearly 10,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. But some rights groups believe the toll to be far higher.
Diplomats said U.N. chief Antonio Guterres may propose a surveillance mechanism comprising 30 to 40 observers.
