The coalition withdraws from the West Coast “under the guidance of the joint command.” Battles in Hodeidah and Marib, and an international call for dialogue and the protection of civilians

The spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition forces, Brigadier Turki Al-Maliki, said that the military forces of the coalition and the forces of the Yemeni government carried out last Thursday a redeployment operation in the West Coast region, as part of military plans under the direction of the Joint Forces Command.

The spokesman accused the Houthis of carrying out more than thirty thousand violations of the Stockholm Agreement on Hodeidah, at a time when the Houthis still control the three main ports on the Red Sea in Hodeidah, Saleef, and Ras Issa.

On Friday, the Houthis took control of villages and districts in large areas south of the coastal city of Hodeidah, which was included in a ceasefire concluded in 2018, after the sudden withdrawal of Yemeni forces from it.

On Thursday and Friday, the joint forces withdrew from areas in Hodeidah, some of them vital, suddenly, which angered the public opinion in Yemen, and the legitimate government denied knowledge of this withdrawal.

Two military officials told AFP that fighting broke out on Saturday when the Houthis tried to advance south in Hodeidah to areas still controlled by the government, but loyalist forces managed to repel them, in battles in which more than 40 of both sides were killed.

On December 13, 2018, the Yemeni government and the Houthis, following consultations in Sweden, reached an agreement that stipulated a ceasefire in the coastal governorate of Hodeidah, and the withdrawal of the forces of both parties from the city under Houthi control.

The two sides also reached an understanding to reduce the escalation in Taiz governorate (southwest), and to exchange prisoners, whose number exceeded 16,000, from both sides.

new conversations

The United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement in Yemen said that the withdrawal of the joint forces from areas in Hodeidah Governorate and the Houthis' control over them, and the consequent changes in the lines of contact, calls for a discussion between the parties involved in the agreement.

The UN mission added, in a statement, that it is ready to facilitate the discussion in accordance with the framework of the agreement, stressing that sustainable peace can only be achieved through joint efforts.

On Monday, the United Nations mission called on the warring parties in Yemen to hold new talks on Hodeidah.

The recent advance of the Houthis near the city of Hodeidah, western Yemen, led to the displacement of more than 6,000 people, according to the United Nations, while the UN mission urged the parties to the conflict to fulfill their obligations and protect civilians, especially the displaced.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, quoting Yemeni government sources, that about 700 families were displaced to Al-Khokha, located more than 100 kilometers south of Hodeidah, while 184 other families were displaced to the south.

The office stated that a site of 300 tents had been established to house the displaced in Al-Khokha district, while the authorities were looking for another site to deal with their influx.

The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council stated that the head of the council, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, left the city of Aden, heading to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to visit the kingdom at the invitation of its leadership.

The council added in a statement that the visit comes within the framework of continuous communication and consultation between the leadership of the council and the leadership of the coalition represented in Saudi Arabia.

goals

On the other hand, fierce battles are taking place between the Yemeni army and the Ansar Allah Houthi group in the districts of Al-Juba and Sirwah in Ma'rib Governorate.

Military sources said that the battles led to deaths and injuries among the Houthis.

The media center of the Yemeni army stated that the army artillery targeted gatherings and military reinforcements of the Houthis, which resulted in the destruction of their vehicles.

While the Houthis "Ansar Allah" group did not issue a comment on these confrontations, it indicated that on Sunday, the coalition warplanes launched 3 raids on Serwah and 9 raids on the Al-Juba district.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced the killing of 140 Houthi fighters and the destruction of 18 Houthi military vehicles.

The coalition indicated that it carried out 11 targeting operations on the western coast to support the coastal forces and protect civilians, in addition to 26 targeting against the Houthis in Marib and Al-Bayda.

Since the beginning of last February, the Houthis have intensified their attacks in Marib to control it, as it is the most important stronghold of the government and the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense, in addition to its enjoyment of oil and gas wealth, and the Marib gas station, which before the war supplied most of the provinces with electricity.