Yemen’s Houthis start withdrawing from ports in Hodeidah -witness

Houthis
Houthis

 Yemen's Houthi movement on Saturday started withdrawing forces from Saleef port in Hodeidah province under a United Nations-sponsored peace deal that had been stalled for months, a Reuters witness said.

The move, which hasyet to be verified by the U.N. and accepted by the Saudi-led coalition, is thefirst major step in implementing a deal reached by the Saudi-backed governmentand the Iran-aligned Houthis for a ceasefire and troop withdrawal in Hodeidahlast year, part of international efforts to end the four-year conflict. U.N.teams were overseeing the Houthi redeployment in Saleef, used for grain, asother teams headed to the second port of Ras Isa, used for oil, to startimplementing the Houthi withdrawal from there, according to the witness.

"The coastguards have taken over in Saleef," said the witness, who was at the port. TheU.N.'s Redeployment Coordination Committee said earlier in a statement that theHouthis would make an "initial unilateral redeployment" between May11 and May 14 from Saleef and Ras Isa as well as the country's main port ofHodeidah.

It said the redeployment would allow the United Nations to take "a leading role" in supporting the Red Sea Ports Corporation in managing the ports and enhance U.N. checks on cargoes.

There has been nocomment so far from the Saudi-led Sunni Muslim military coalition that hasmassed forces outside Hodeidah, which handles the bulk of Yemen's imports andaid supplies. Hodeidah has become the focus of the war since last year, whenthe coalition twice tried to seize its port to cut off the Houthis' main supplyline.

The peace deal hadstalled since January amid deep mistrust among the warring parties in aconflict that has killed tens of thousands and pushed the Arabian Peninsulanation to the brink of famine.

It calls for coalition forces to leave positions around the outskirts of Hodeidah in the initial redeployment, before a second phase in which both sides pull back further. 

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