A ceasefire between Yemen’s warring parties went into effect at midnight Tuesday (4 p.m. ET Monday) in the strategic port city of Hodeidah.
The ceasefire was reached last week in Stockholm after a round of UN-sponsored talks — the first direct talks in more than two years between representatives of Yemen’s Salvation government in Saanaa and Saudi-backed exiled government.
The December 13 agreement stipulated an immediate ceasefire in Hodeidah, a major flashpoint in the country’s war. The port city is an entry point for 70% of foreign humanitarian aid into the country, according to the United Nations, which has described Hodeidah as a “lifeline” for Yemen’s war-ravaged population.
The agreement also includes mutual withdrawal of military manifestations from the city, redeployment of local forces and deployment of UN monitors for the ports.
Head of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee Mohammed Ali al-Houthi welcomed on Twitter the truce announcement.
“We welcome the ceasefire announced by the UN envoy this night, which will take effect shortly, and we affirm that peace is the first option since the very first moment.”
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Supreme Revolutionary Committee of the Iranian-backed Houthi militias, said on Twitter.
For his part, spokesman for Sanaa’s Armed Forces Brigadier General Yehia Sarie on Tuesday affirmed in a statement the commitment of the army and the popular forces to ceasefire in the province of Hodeidah.
On the other hand, a military source close to the exiled government told AFP on Tuesday: “There has been complete calm since 03:00 am Yemen time (1200 GMT) in the city of Hodeida.”
Yemen has been since March 2015 under brutal aggression by Saudi-led Coalition, in a bid to restore control to fugitive president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi who is Riyadh’s ally.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed and injured in the strikes launched by the coalition, with the vast majority of them are civilians.
The coalition, which includes in addition to Saudi Arabia and UAE: Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan and Kuwait, has been also imposing a harsh blockade against Yemenis.
Source: Agencies
