Yemeni Houthis re-enter Hodeidah after Allied government forces leave Houthis News

Pro-government forces have withdrawn from the port city, saying they were being remodeled under the 2018 ceasefire agreement.

Forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognized government have withdrawn from the strategic port city of Hodeidah, allowing Houthi rebels to regain their main positions there, Yemeni officials and the United Nations have said.

Fighters in the United Arab Emirates-led and funded United Arab Emirates government said Friday night that troops had been redeployed far from Hodeidah because there had been a ceasefire agreement in 2018.

“The joint forces accepted the mistake of continuing in the defensive barricades, unable to fight under an international treaty, while several fronts need help,” they said in a statement.

A UN mission monitoring the ceasefire said it had not been notified before the withdrawal and that pro-government forces had fled to Hodeidah, Yemen’s main point of entry for imports and aid, and south of the city, allowing rebels to take over. .

On Saturday, security officials and residents said they had gathered dozens of people accused of helping the Houthis help the government.

Meanwhile, other pro-government forces remaining in the Hodeidah government repelled a Houthis attack in the south of the city, authorities said. At least three pro-government officials have been killed, including a field commander, they added.

Officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media, and residents did so out of fear of reprisals.

Fighting erupted in mid-2018 in Hodeidah as coalition-backed government forces went on to take control of the strategic port from the Houthis. After months of fighting, the warring parties signed a ceasefire in December of that year and agreed to exchange more than 16,000 prisoners.

The agreement – seen as the first important step in ending the conflict that has destroyed Yemen – was never fully implemented and the Houthis have been accused of repeatedly violating the 2018 United Nations agreement.

The war in Yemen began when the capital Sana’a was taken over in 2014 by Houthis who control much of the country’s north. A Saudi-led coalition – which included the UAE – entered the war in 2015, determined to restore the government and remove the rebels.

The conflict has turned into a proxy war in the region, killing thousands of civilians and fighters. The war also created the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, leaving millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and pushing the country to the brink of starvation.

In recent months, Houthis have attacked government forces in several areas, including Shabwa, Bayda and Marib provinces, despite calls from the UN, the US and others to engage in negotiations and seek negotiations to resolve the conflict.

Government forces drove the rebels south of the crucial city of Marib, the provincial capital, authorities on both sides said on Saturday.

As part of major efforts to end the war, Washington has pressured Riyadh to remove restrictions on coalition warships in ports under Houthi, a condition for the group to begin ceasefire talks.

The blockade is an important factor in the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.