ADEN, Yemen, Jan 30 (NNN-SABA) – The United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, arrived in the Houthi-controlled city of Hodeidah on Tuesday, to closely oversee the cease-fire implementation in the turbulent province, a government official, said.
Griffiths will hold a number of meetings with representatives of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, and closely oversee the cease-fire implementation on-the-ground, local government official said, on condition of anonymity.
The government source said that Griffiths will also meet the head of the UN cease-fire monitoring team, Patrick Cammaert, to discuss arrival of new observers in Hodeidah.
On Monday, the UN envoy met senior leaders of the Houthi rebel group in Sanaa, but achieved no constructive results about the situation, according to local sources.
Sources at the country’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, pledged a Houthi withdrawal from Hodeidah’s port in the upcoming period.
On Tuesday, the UN spokesperson denied Cammaert’s resignation, saying in a tweet that, he “continues his work, contrary to media reports.”
Patrick Cammaert, a retired Dutch general, and his team arrived in war-torn Hodeidah last month, to oversee the cease-fire deal reached between Yemen’s government and Houthi rebels in Sweden last Dec.
However, the fragile cease-fire was breached multiple times by both sides despite presence of the UN cease-fire monitoring team.
Last week, gunfire targeted UN armored vehicles carrying Cammaert and his team, causing no casualties.
The cease-fire deal signed between the two warring rivals in Sweden demands full withdrawal of all armed groups from Hodeidah and its strategic seaports.
According to the deal, the UN will manage the port and supervise the re-deployment of neutral forces, to prevent military escalation, while local forces will help maintain law and order in Hodeidah.– NNN-SABA