The UN has called for talks about the implications of the Houthis’ complete takeover of the long-contested strategic port of Hodeidah in Yemen, amid reports that the withdrawal of the government forces had led to as many as 6,000 people being displaced.
The UN said it was “ready to facilitate such discussions”. The UN special envoy Hans Grundberg expressed his concern at the fighting, and called for de-escalation.
The 2018 Hodeidah agreement, negotiated in Stockholm, was at the time seen as the first step to a wider peace in Yemen, but no detailed agreement was ever made on the mutual withdrawal of Houthi and UN backed Yemen government troops in the port leading to an impasse.
