Hodeida: Yemen weights options including military
A government offensive on Yemen’s Hodeida is still an option if rebels refuse to withdraw from the port city, a minister said yesterday, as the warring sides met for UN-brokered talks.
“We are now in negotiations in response to calls by the international community, the UN and the UN envoy. We are still looking into means towards peace,” said Agriculture Minister Othman al-Mujalli.
“But if they are not responsive, we have many options, including that of military decisiveness,” he said in response to a question on the city. “And we are ready.”
The Sweden talks mark the first meeting between the two sides in two years. The last round of talks, in 2016, broke down after three months.
While the days leading up to the gathering saw the government and Huthis agreeing on a prisoner swap deal and the evacuation of wounded insurgents for medical treatment in Oman, both parties dug in on their demands as the talks began.
The talks are expected to cover the fate of Hodeida, a city on Yemen’s western coastline that houses the country’s most valuable port. The two sides have not yet met face-to-face.
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