Yemen’s warring parties have agreed to start withdrawing forces from three ports in Hodeidah under a UN-sponsored deal, the United Nations said, following weeks of diplomacy to salvage a pact that stalled over control of the Red Sea city.
Yemen’s Houtis, who are aligned with Iran, and the country’s government, aligned with Saudi Arabia, had done a deal in December to withdraw troops by January 7, but disagreement on details delayed opening humanitarian corridors needed to reach 10 million people on the brink of starvation. Yemen is the poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula.
The December truce aimed at averting a full-scale assault on the port and paving the way for negotiations to end the four-year war. The parties could decide within 10 days on where they would re-position forces, said the other source.
The conflict, which has killed tens of thousands, is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis deny receiving help from Tehran and say their revolution is against corruption.