Demonstrations took place in the city of Hodeidah (southwestern Yemen) denouncing the detention of a number of relief ships by the Saudi-Emirati coalition in the port city, at a time when the city and its surroundings need urgent humanitarian and relief assistance.
The protesters raised slogans condemning the policies of the coalition, which they described as aimed at starving Yemenis, and called on the protesters of the United Nations and international organizations to intervene to stop the policies of the coalition and the delivery of this assistance to those in need.
The Houthi group last Friday denied using the port of Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast for military purposes. This came in a statement issued by the Red Sea Ports Corporation, which is under the authority of the Houthis, according to Al-Masirah satellite channel.
The channel denied that the Foundation denied - in a statement - the words of the military spokesman for the Saudi-Emirati coalition Turki al-Maliki, "false allegations and allegations" about the use of the port of Hodeidah for military purposes.
The statement added that these allegations are aimed at justifying violations committed by the coalition, continued air strikes, tightening the siege on Yemeni ports, and obstructing the entry of goods and humanitarian needs.
The Houthi statement also pointed out that the last of these violations was to prevent the entry of 13 ships loaded with oil derivatives to the port of Hodeidah for more than a month, despite the granting of entry permits and subject to inspection by the United Nations.
The Houthi statement that the accusations of the coalition comes despite the presence of the United Nations team overseeing the mechanism of control and inspection of the implementation of the Swedish agreement in the port of Hodeidah, with the presence of staff of UNDP and the World Food Organization, who are aware of what is happening, and manage the activities of the program and the organization inside the port.
Hodeidah port is one of the most important and largest ports in Yemen, where it is the import and delivery of about 70% of commercial goods and relief in the country.
On December 13, 2018, the Yemeni legitimate government and the Houthis, after consultations in Stockholm, reached an agreement to resolve the situation in the coastal province of Hodeidah, as well as the exchange of prisoners and detainees on both sides, numbering more than 15 thousand.
But the implementation of the Stockholm peace agreement between the two sides stalled amid an exchange of accusations of responsibility for obstruction.
For the fifth year in a row, Yemen has been at war between pro-government forces and the Houthis, who have controlled provinces including the capital Sanaa since September 2014. Since March 2015, a Saudi-led military coalition has been supporting government forces against the Houthis.