Yemen’s Houthis to withdraw from Hodeida and other ports
Yemen’s Houthi rebels are set to pull back from three ports on Saturday, the first steps on the ground since a ceasefire deal was agreed.
The withdrawal of rebel forces, delayed since January, was expected to be complete by Tuesday, General Michael Lollesgaard, head of a UN redeployment committee said in a statement.
The Danish general said he welcomed “the offer and intention” of the Iran-backed Shiite rebels to withdraw from the lifeline ports of Hodeida, Saleef and Ras Issa.
The pullout it part of the accord, seen as the best hope in years towards ending the war, was reached in Sweden last December. A UN observer mission, led by Lollesgaard, is set to monitor and report on the Houthi redeployment.
A Sunni-Muslim coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen in March 2015 in a push back an advance by the rebels and restore power to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.
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According to UN diplomats, Houthis had refused to pull back from the ports because they were worried that the Saudi-led coalition would move in to seize the facilities.
The Saudi-led coalition claims the rebels are using the ports to smuggle weapons, while the rebels say they would be starved of vital supplies if the coalition held control over the port.
rc/sms (Reuters, dpa, AFP)
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