Calm finally returns to Yemen’s Hodeida

Saudi Arabia and its Arab coalition partners “strongly support” an agreement reached on Yemen yesterday, which includes a ceasefire in the vital port of Hodeida, Riyadh’s US ambassador Khalid bin Salman said. “The agreement announced yesterday will help bring back security to the region including the security of the Red Sea, a vital waterway for international trade,” the envoy, who is the brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said on his Twitter account.

“The agreement is a major step towards alleviating the humanitarian crisis and reaching a political solution.” “We hope that the Houthis accept a comprehensive political solution, in accordance with relevant UN resolutions, that serves the interests of Yemen and its people rather than working on behalf of the Iranian regime’s interests.” The tweets also warned Iran backed Houthis not to repeat their mistake of abandoning the political process, “as they did with the outcomes of Yemeni national dialogue, Geneva, and the Kuwait talks, as the brotherly Yemeni people deserve a real opportunity at peace.”

Mohammed bin Salman tweeted that the legitimate government of Yemen supported the former UN envoy’s proposal of UN control over the port of Hodiedah. “The Houthis refused, and only consistent military pressure by the Yemeni armed forces and the Arab coalition forced them to agree.” The deal was also welcomed by the United Arab Emirates. “We welcome the (truce) accord reached in Sweden,” UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Twitter. He attributed the deal to military pressure by the coalition, which intervened in 2015 after Houthis seized the capital Sanaa as well as Hodeida and its vital Red Sea port.

“The diplomatic progress was made possible by sustained military pressure against the Houthis along the Red Sea and around Hodeida,” Gargash said. He also revealed that there were 5,000 Emirati soldiers engaged in fighting to recapture Hodeida from the rebels. U N chief Antonio Guterres, announcing the ceasefire, said the United Nations would play a “leading role” at the port. “In the harbour, the UN will assume a very important monitoring role and in the city, the order will be maintained by the local forces.”

A new round of talks is scheduled for the end of January.  UN special envoy Martin Griffiths, who was due to brief the Security Council on Yemen on Friday, said the pullout should take place “within days”. The rivals have also reached a “mutual understanding” on Yemen’s third city of Taiz to facilitate the delivery of aid.  But no deal has been reached on the future of the airport in the capital Sanaa.