UN: Warring Parties Must Quickly Withdraw from Hudaydah

On Monday, February 8, the United Nations representative in Yemen urged the warring parties to swiftly withdraw their forces from the port of Hudaydah. This request comes after international organizations reported that conditions for thousands of hungry people in Yemen are rapidly deteriorating. Aid organizations stated at a meeting in London that people in Yemen are struggling to provide food for their children, and the situation in the country has turned into the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Hudaydah, located in western Yemen, is the country's main commercial port, and battles between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition have been particularly intense in the area around this port. The port of Hudaydah is a vital entry point for food and medicine, and millions of Yemenis on the brink of famine rely on its operations. The warring parties in Yemen reached a ceasefire agreement in Hudaydah last month during a UN-mediated peace conference in Sweden. In this context, members of the UN Security Council also agreed to a mission of 75 ceasefire observers in Yemen, who are set to be deployed in Hudaydah for six months. Control of the port remains in the hands of the Iran-backed Houthis, while Saudi coalition forces have gathered on the outskirts of Hudaydah. After the withdrawal of the warring forces, both sides have continued to dispute which group should control the port. The Hudaydah agreement has been in effect for a month and has mostly been adhered to, but according to Reuters, hostile forces still remain in the neighborhoods and have even been strengthening their positions. Martin Griffiths, the UN representative in Yemen, stated that the proposed timelines for the withdrawal of forces from the port have not been properly implemented, while the country is on the brink of famine. He tweeted: 'It can be said that the initial timeline was ambitious. We are facing a complex situation on the ground.' The Houthis captured the capital Sana'a in 2014, and the battle between them and the Saudi-led regional coalition supporting the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi is ongoing.