SANAA: The headof the UN team tasked with monitoring a fragile ceasefire in Yemen's port cityof Hodeida arrived in the rebel-held capital Sanaa yesterday, an AFPphotographer said. Retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert is heading a jointcommittee including members of the government and the Houthi rebels, in chargeof monitoring a truce in the Red Sea city and its surroundings. Cammaert wasgreeted by the head of the Houthi delegation, Ali Al-Mushki, and a number ofother members of the UN team at Sanaa international airport. He is making astop in Sanaa before heading to Hodeida, a lifeline port city that serves asthe entry point for the majority of imports to war-torn Yemen, a UN officialsaid.
On Saturday, Cammaertarrived in Aden where he held talks with Yemen government officials. Duringthose talks he urged Yemeni leaders and the Saudi-led coalition backing theloyalists to uphold the ceasefire that came into effect last week, said UNspokesman Stephane Dujarric. He also "sought their commitment andcooperation to secure the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid", saidDujarric, adding that Cammaert will "convey similar messages" to theHouthis in Sanaa. On Friday, the UN Security Council unanimously approved aresolution authorizing the deployment of observers to Hodeida, which is held bythe rebels and has been subjected to an offensive by pro-government forces.
UN to secure port
Both thegovernment and the rebels backed the resolution on Friday. Rebel negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam said itmarked "an important step towards stopping the aggression and lifting theblockade". He was referring to the Saudi-led military coalition thatintervened in 2015 and imposed a blockade on Yemeni waters and airports. Theinternationally-recognized government, in turn, reaffirmed in a statement its"commitment (to respect) the agreement" reached in Sweden andendorsed by the UN resolution.
It pledged towork "in a positive spirit" with UN envoy Martin Griffiths towards alasting political agreement to end the war. A halt to fighting in the strategicport city follows intense diplomatic efforts which culminated in peace talksearlier this month in Sweden, where the warring parties agreed to the trucewhich came into force on Tuesday. The ceasefire remained shaky, however, withboth sides accusing each other of violations in Hodeida province. The UNmonitoring team aims to secure the functioning of Hodeida port and supervisethe withdrawal of fighters from the city.
The text approvedby the Security Council "insists on the full respect by all parties of theceasefire agreed" for Hodeida. It authorizes the United Nations to"establish and deploy, for an initial period of 30 days from the adoptionof this resolution, an advance team to begin monitoring" the ceasefire,under Cammaert's leadership. Around 10,000 people have been killed since theSaudi-led intervention, according to the World Health Organization, althoughrights groups say the death toll could be five times higher. The conflict hasunleashed a major humanitarian crisis and pushed 14 million Yemenis to thebrink of famine.- AFP