A "preliminary" step which could be followed by "further consultations" between the parties. Next week, new meetings between the two fronts are scheduled to define the details. The port city is the entry point for most goods and aid. The humanitarian emergency remains at maximum levels.
Sana'a (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The pro-Saudi government of Yemen (recognized by the international community) and the Houthi Shiite rebels supported by Iran have reached a preliminary agreement in these hours for the relocation of troops to the port city of Hudaydah.
The move announced by the representatives of the United Nations, could be the means for a wider truce in the area which has been the epicenter of the conflict in Yemen, perpetuating a devastating humanitarian tragedy.
The withdrawal from Hudaydah was first agreed in December, during the peace talks in Sweden. However, neither side withdrew their forces by the scheduled date.
Stephane Dujarric, UN spokesman, confirms the achievement of a "preliminary agreement", which will be followed by "further consultations between the parties, with their respective leaders". Next week, new meetings are planned between the two fronts, to define the final details of the operation.
The port city on the Red Sea is the entry point for most of the goods and humanitarian aid destined for Yemen. It is the only lifeline for millions of people, within the poorest country in the Arab world.
Faced with a partial progress on the battlefield, with the announced withdrawal of troops, it is still impossible for UN officials to access a goods storage site that could alleviate the suffering of millions of Yemenis. Mark Lowcock, the UN Head of Mission, appeals to Houthi "in the coming days" to allow transit on the front line to access the warehouses, located in an area controlled by government troops. So far the Shiite rebels have denied the passage alleging security reasons.
The progress of these last hours in Hudaydah could represent the first, significant step in the context of a conflict that, from March 2015 to today, has recorded over 10 thousand deaths and at least 55 thousand injured.
In fact, some independent bodies set the toll (between January 2016 and end of July 2018) at around 50,000 deaths. But this data only concerns the combatants in the field, not the so-called "indirect victims" (civilians) for malnutrition or cholera.
Among the first victims there are children, who have died as a result of bombs or very serious malnutrition: at least 85,000 children under the age of five, according to various international humanitarian agencies. Recently UN experts have said that at least 14 million people are at risk of starvation.