UN Security Council to be briefed on Hodeidah ceasefire
Today, the UN envoy for Yemen will brief the Security Council on the implementation of a ceasefire deal agreed to on December 18.
December’s ceasefire agreement has reduced the intensity of fighting in Hodeidah substantially, with media reports suggesting the truce has ‘largely’ held. However, skirmishes between the warring Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces remain frequent and threaten to re-envelop Hodeidah and its surrounds into full-blown civil war.
To shore up the ceasefire, UN Envoy Martin Griffiths held talks with Houthi official in the capital of Sanaa on Saturday to discuss the withdrawal of fighters from Hodeidah’s port, which was due to be completed by Monday. It is too early to say whether this withdrawal has been fully completed.
Mr Martins and his UN colleagues are hoping to convene a fresh round of peace talks in late January. However, with the warring parties continually accusing each other of violating the December agreement and threatening to boycott future talks, an end to this 46-month war remains some way off.
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