SANAA: The head
of the UN team tasked with monitoring a fragile ceasefire in Yemen's port city
of Hodeida arrived in the rebel-held capital Sanaa yesterday, an AFP
photographer said. Retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert is heading a joint
committee including members of the government and the Houthi rebels, in charge
of monitoring a truce in the Red Sea city and its surroundings. Cammaert was
greeted by the head of the Houthi delegation, Ali Al-Mushki, and a number of
other members of the UN team at Sanaa international airport. He is making a
stop in Sanaa before heading to Hodeida, a lifeline port city that serves as
the entry point for the majority of imports to war-torn Yemen, a UN official
said.

On Saturday, Cammaert
arrived in Aden where he held talks with Yemen government officials. During
those talks he urged Yemeni leaders and the Saudi-led coalition backing the
loyalists to uphold the ceasefire that came into effect last week, said UN
spokesman Stephane Dujarric. He also "sought their commitment and
cooperation to secure the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid", said
Dujarric, adding that Cammaert will "convey similar messages" to the
Houthis in Sanaa. On Friday, the UN Security Council unanimously approved a
resolution authorizing the deployment of observers to Hodeida, which is held by
the rebels and has been subjected to an offensive by pro-government forces.

UN to secure port

Both the
government and the rebels backed the resolution on Friday.  Rebel negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam said it
marked "an important step towards stopping the aggression and lifting the
blockade". He was referring to the Saudi-led military coalition that
intervened in 2015 and imposed a blockade on Yemeni waters and airports. The
internationally-recognized government, in turn, reaffirmed in a statement its
"commitment (to respect) the agreement" reached in Sweden and
endorsed by the UN resolution.

It pledged to
work "in a positive spirit" with UN envoy Martin Griffiths towards a
lasting political agreement to end the war. A halt to fighting in the strategic
port city follows intense diplomatic efforts which culminated in peace talks
earlier this month in Sweden, where the warring parties agreed to the truce
which came into force on Tuesday. The ceasefire remained shaky, however, with
both sides accusing each other of violations in Hodeida province. The UN
monitoring team aims to secure the functioning of Hodeida port and supervise
the withdrawal of fighters from the city.

The text approved
by the Security Council "insists on the full respect by all parties of the
ceasefire agreed" for Hodeida. It authorizes the United Nations to
"establish and deploy, for an initial period of 30 days from the adoption
of this resolution, an advance team to begin monitoring" the ceasefire,
under Cammaert's leadership. Around 10,000 people have been killed since the
Saudi-led intervention, according to the World Health Organization, although
rights groups say the death toll could be five times higher. The conflict has
unleashed a major humanitarian crisis and pushed 14 million Yemenis to the
brink of famine.- AFP