UN expresses concern about Houthi military build-up in Hodeidah

The UN has expressed its concern about the “large” military build-up of the Houthis in the city of Hodeidah in western Yemen, the focus of the Sweden agreement reached by the government and Ansar Allah in late 2018.

 

The UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement, “UNMHA”, said through its account on “Twitter”, “The mission noted with great concern the large military presence in the city of Hodeidah during the past days.”

 

“Hodeidah must remain free of military appearances, as was agreed upon in Stockholm,” The mission added.

 

The UN mission urged the “Ansar Allah” group to “respect the terms of the Hudaydah Agreement and refrain from actions that may contribute to the escalation, for the benefit of all Yemenis.”

 

During the round of peace negotiations hosted by the Swedish capital Stockholm, in late December 2018, the Yemeni government and Ansar Allah group reached an agreement on Hodeidah, which included the joint redeployment of forces from the city of Hodeidah and its ports, Hodeidah, Saleef, and Ras Issa, to locations outside the city.

 

The agreement was not implemented due to differences between the two sides over its details.