UN: Withdrawal of forces in Hudaydah may start Tuesday

By Umar Farooq

WASHINGTON (AA) - The redeployment of forces in Yemen's Hudaydah between opposing parties could begin Tuesday or Wednesday, UN envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths told the Security Council.

"With the beginning, possibly even today or tomorrow, of the implementation of that part of the Hudaydah agreement, we now have the opportunity to move from the promise made in Sweden to hope now for Yemen," Griffiths said, speaking to the Security Council from Amman, Jordan.

In December, Houthi forces and the Saudi-backed government forces agreed to withdraw troops from the Hudaydah port by Jan. 7, an attempt through negotiations to avoid an all out assault and put an end to the war.

While the efforts had been delayed and deadlines missed, the Yemen envoy noted progress was being made and both parties were showing a commitment to follow through on their agreement.

"The parties have agreed to redeploy from the ports of Saleef and Ras Isa in a first step, followed by a redeployment from Hudaydah port itself, and critical parts of the city of Hudaydah associated with humanitarian facilities," Griffiths said.

With both sides agreeing to redeploy forces, the UN plans to give the World Food Program access to the Red Sea Mills, which he said holds enough food to feed 3.7 million people for a month, according to the UN envoy.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital of Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Since then, tens of thousands of Yemenis, including numerous civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, while another 14 million are now at risk of starvation, according to the UN.

The agreement would allow significant amounts of humanitarian access into the region, which has faced some of the worst damage in the four-year long war.