The UN-led Yemeni peace process results in one but important agreement on Thursday. The troops from both sides will withdraw from the entire Hodeidah area within a maximum of 21 days, according to the UN-chaired committee.
The next round of meetings is scheduled for late January, the Yemeni opponents and the UN negotiators will find a peaceful solution or, at least, the way to settle the armed conflict in the country. This week, Yemen rivals have agreed on cease-fire in the rebel stronghold of Hodeida port. At the end of week-long peace talks in Sweden, Yemen’s foreign minister Khaled al Yamani and rebel negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam shook hands.
Earlier, the UN reported that at least 10,000 people have already been killed in the war in Yemen. The experts believe the number could be much higher, e.g. Save the Children estimates 85,000 children under five may have starved to death due to war, famine and blockade of Hodeidah port.
The UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, said troops would withdraw from the strategical port within days, and from the wider city in a second phase. According to the UN, the ceasefire allows to open up the east-west road that connects Hodeida to the capital, Sana’a “so that the humanitarian pipeline, which is crucial to the people of Yemen, can start delivering aid”.
