Hudaydah Archives - Iran News Daily

Coalition Deployed Cluster Bombs in Hudaydah, US Says

reporter 1222 — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 08:59:09 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the key members of a coalition waging war on Yemen, have deployed cluster bombs against a residential neighborhood in the country’s coastal western province of Hudaydah, a United Nations official said.

The Head of the UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA) in Yemen, Lieutenant General Abhijit Guha, said in a statement on Tuesday that he is concerned about repeated Saudi-UAE airstrikes in the al-Arj area of the province between August 16 and 23, the Yemeni al-Mahrah Post website reported.

Guha noted that the heavy fighting that broke out around the city of Hudaydah on August 27 in addition to “reports of the use of cluster weapons during one of these airstrikes” are of “special concern.”

The senior UN official then called on parties to the Yemen conflict to “desist from any measures that harm the implementation of Hudaydah agreement.”

Delegates from the Houthi Ansarullah movement and representatives loyal to former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi held a round of peace negotiations in Rimbo, north of the Swedish capital city of Stockholm, in December 2018.

The talks resulted in the announcement of an agreement, which included a ceasefire along the Hudaydah front and the redeployment of armed forces out of the city and its port. The deal also mandated the UN to oversee the truce.

Guha further urged all warring parties in Yemen to “refrain from any other activities that put the lives of civilians in Hudaydah province in danger.”

Back on 23 August, an official source from the Ansarullah movement said the Saudi-led military coalition had used a cluster bomb on a farm in al-Arj area of the Bajil district.

Yemen’s Ministry of Human Rights, in a statement released by the official SABA news agency on June 10, warned that cluster munitions pose a serious danger to the lives of civilians, especially women and children, if they come in close contact with them.

The statement added that the Saudi-led alliance has used thousands of cluster bombs on residential areas, leaving many civilians dead or injured. Unexploded submunitions risk the lives of locals in the targeted areas as well.

Also on Tuesday, the Yemeni Ministry of Public Health and Population censured latest remarks by the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths, in which he apparently overlooked the disastrous effects of the Saudi-led coalition’s continued siege and detention of fuel tankers off the coast of Yemen.

“After nearly four months that the Saudi-led coalition has been preventing fuel vessels from mooring in Hudaydah port and affecting vital sectors and service facilities, the UN envoy surprised us” with his statement, the spokesman for the ministry, Dr. Yousef al-Hadhiri said.

“Griffiths utterly disregards the Yemeni health sector and the immediate impacts on it in the statement. The statement neither helps reveal the truth nor conceals the falsehood,” Hadhiri added.

He emphasized, “Such neglect did not take place by mistake, but was rather deliberate in order to cover up the humanitarian gap that could draw the attention of the international community to the humanitarian catastrophe that Yemen suffers from.”

The top Yemeni official argued that “Griffiths, in his statement, has not pointed to the fact that the continued detention of fuel tankers affects 80% of patients with chronic diseases and those injured in accidents, who are in the countryside and have no access to necessary health services in city centers.”

“We in the Ministry of Public Health and Population condemn the UN envoy’s clear and scandalous bias towards murderous criminals committed by the Saudi-led coalition and its mercenaries,” Hadhiri said.

“Griffiths’ tenure as the UN special envoy for Yemen has not witnessed any improvement or progress in the living standards of Yemenis in the face of the siege and aggression they have been suffering for more than 65 months.”

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing Hadi’s government back to power.

The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than 100,000 lives for more than the past five years.

The Houthi movement, backed by the armed forces, has been defending Yemen against the Saudi-led alliance, preventing the aggressors from fulfilling the objectives of their deadly campaign.

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Saudi Spy Drone Downed over Hudaydah

reporter 1222 — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 05:30:37 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Yemen’s air defense units shot down a Saudi spy drone flying in the skies over the western province of Hudaydah.

According to Yemeni media reports, the Arab country’s air defense forces targeted the surveillance drone over Hudaydah with a surface-to-air missile on Monday morning.

The drone was shot down over al-Shajan village, the reports added.

In a separate development, at least three civilians were killed and another sustained injuries when militiamen loyal to the country’s former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, shelled a residential neighborhood in the southern province of Ta’iz despite a two-week ceasefire declared by the Saudi-led coalition.

Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arabic-language al-Masirah television network that the Saudi mercenaries fired projectiles at Wadi Hanash village in the At Ta’iziyah district of the province Sunday afternoon.

The sources added that two women and a child were killed whilst a man was injured when their house was struck in the shelling.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of Hadi back to power and crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than 100,000 lives since then.

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Saudi-Led Drone Shot Down over Hudaydah

reporter 1222 — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 10:19:52 +0000

Saudi-Led Drone Shot Down over Hudaydah

According To Iran News, Yemen’s air defense units intercepted and shot down a Saudi-led spy drone while flying over the western coastal province of Hudaydah.

It was brought down over the besieged city of Durayhimion in Hudaydah on Sunday afternoon, a local source said on the condition of anonymity.

The development took place only a few days after Yemeni armed forces unveiled four domestically-built long-range, surface-to-air missile defense systems, which could act as game changers and alter the course of battle in the face of the deadly campaign led by Saudi Arabia against Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi back to power and crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than 100,000 lives over the past nearly five years.

The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.

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Ansarullah Abiding by Hudaydah Ceasefire Deal: UN

reporter 1222 — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 09:47:00 +0000

The movement’s unilateral pullout from the ports, used for grain, oil, commerce and aid, was the most significant advance yet for efforts to end the four-year-old Saudi war on Yemen.

In December, the Houthis and the ex-government in met in Sweden and agreed to a ceasefire and troop withdrawal deal for Hudaydah. Under phase one, the Houthis pulled out of the Red Sea ports of Hudaydah, Saleef and Ras Isa last month.

Lieutenant General Michael Lollesgaard, who heads the UN monitoring mission in Hudaydah, said in a statement that regular UN patrols had not detected a Houthi military presence in the three ports since May 14, Reuters reported.

He said coast guard forces were providing port security, but the United Nations could not yet confirm if the coast guard was operating at the agreed strength of 450.

Lollesgaard said Houthi military installations and equipment had been removed from Saleef and Ras Isa, but largely remained in Hudaydah. He called on the Houthis to “expeditiously complete the removal of all military manifestations, including trenches as part of their commitment to the process.”

Hudaydah is Yemen’s main port and a lifeline for millions of Yemenis on the brink of starvation, a situation exacerbated by restricted imports of food and other supplies due to the war.

The Houthi withdrawal from the ports is due to be met by a retreat of Saudi-led coalition forces from the eastern outskirts of Hudaydah, facilitating humanitarian access to grain stores at the Red Sea Mills.

Lollesgaard said last month that a phase one withdrawal by ex-government and coalition forces would not take place until the warring parties had worked out details for a broader phase two redeployment around Hudaydah and agreed on local forces to secure the area.

He called on all parties on Wednesday to finalize negotiations to allow for the full implementation of phases one and two of the Hudaydah deal.

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Ceasefire Violated as Fresh Fighting Breaks Out in Yemen’s Hudaydah

reporter 1222 — Thu, 16 May 2019 07:34:52 +0000

The fighting prompted the UN’s special envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, to warn that peace could yet be a way off, despite earlier signs the pullout by Houthi forces was going to plan.

Their withdrawal from Hudaydah and two other Red Sea ports, which began on Saturday, was the most significant advance yet in efforts to end the four-year-old Saudi-led war.

Speaking to the UN security council in New York, Griffiths warned the alarming intensification could wipe out the progress made in Hudaydah, as other UN officials warned of a cholera outbreak on the brink of the rainy season, the risk of massive oil spills into the Red Sea and an 80% shortfall in promised aid, the Guardian reported.

Griffiths hailed the initial redeployment of Houthi forces from Hudaydah port, but told the security council, “War has a habit of trumping peace – its impact more corrosive than the positive impact of ending wars. We must not let war take peace off the table.”

Griffiths was referring to the rise of violence in Yemen, as well as signs of major breaches of the Hudaydah ceasefire.

The UN said on Tuesday the ports had been handed over to Yemen’s coast guard and the pullout was on target. However, both sides reported renewed clashes on Wednesday, a day after a drone attack by the Houthi Ansarullah movement hit two of Saudi Arabia’s oil-pumping stations.

The UK ambassador to the UN, Karen Pierce, described the news of the Houthi withdrawals as a significant step, and said the news from Yemen was both frightening and uplifting.

Griffiths confirmed an initial redeployment of forces from the three ports took place under UN monitoring between May 11 and 14, with the ports now under the control of the coast guard. He said his mission had confirmed the Houthis “were fully compliant throughout the withdrawal and had been fully cooperative, and had now left these three ports”.

Griffiths added the UN was ready to play a leading role in the Red Sea ports, including management and inspections of cargo. It will also help with improving efficiency, including enhanced lighting, and demining of outer port and public works.

Hudaydah, which is home to about 600,000 people, is Yemen’s second largest city by population. Its vital port – through which 70% of Yemen’s food, fuel and aid flows – has been under Houthi control since 2015 and has become the country’s major aid pipeline due to the Saudi-led coalition blockade of Yemen’s borders and airspace.

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UN Urges Yemen’s Warring Sides to Leave Hudaydah

reporter 1222 — Thu, 18 Apr 2019 09:12:22 +0000

The council warned in a unanimous statement that it will “monitor the parties’ compliance with the redeployment plans” as it awaits a report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on whether the sides are upholding commitments, AFP reported.

The redeployment of forces was agreed in December under a ceasefire deal reached in Sweden that offered the best hope in years of moving toward an end to the ongoing Saudi war that has killed tens of thousands and has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.

The council expressed “grave concern” that four months on, the agreements have not been implemented, but there was no threat of sanctions against those who are blocking the peace effort.

UN envoy Martin Griffiths told the council on Monday that the ex-government and fighters from Houthi Ansarullah movement had agreed to the operational details of the first long-delayed pullback of forces from Hudaydah.

The United Nations announced a deal on the two-stage pullback from Hudaydah city and its ports in February, but the redeployment failed to materialize on the ground and the peace effort has since stalled.

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Yemen Warring Sides Agree to Begin Pullback from Hudaydah

reporter 1222 — Mon, 18 Feb 2019 10:01:37 +0000

Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement and forces loyal to fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi have agreed on the first phase of a pullback of forces from the key city of Hudaydah, in a deal the United Nations described Sunday as important progress.

The redeployment from Hudaydah was a key provision of a ceasefire deal reached in December in Sweden, but deadlines to move forces away from the ports and parts of city have been missed.

The Red Sea port is the entry point for the bulk of Yemen’s imported goods and humanitarian aid, providing a lifeline to millions in the Arab world’s poorest country.

Following two days of talks in Hudaydah city, the two sides finalized a deal on the first phase of the pullback and also agreed in principle on the second phase, a UN statement said, according to AFP.

The talks were led by Danish General Michael Lollesgaard as chair of a redeployment coordination committee (RCC) that includes the Houthis and former government.

“After lengthy but constructive discussions facilitated by the RCC Chair, the parties reached an agreement on Phase 1 of the mutual redeployment of forces,” said the UN statement.

The sides made “important progress on planning for the redeployment of forces” but no date was given to begin the demilitarization.

“The parties also agreed, in principle, on Phase 2 of the mutual redeployment, pending additional consultations within their respective leadership.”

The first phase provides for a pullback from the ports of Hudaydah , Saleef, Ras Issa and from parts of the city where there are humanitarian facilities.

The United Nations is hoping that a de-escalation in Hudaydah will allow desperately-needed food and medical aid to reach millions on the brink of starvation in Yemen.

A new round is planned within a week to finalize details on the second phase of redeployment, the UN statement said.

The ceasefire and a Hudaydah pullback agreed in Stockholm have been hailed as a major step toward ending Saudi Arabia’s nearly four-year war on Yemen.

The talks on Saturday and Sunday were the fourth meeting held between the sides to try to agree on the modalities of the pullback of forces since the ceasefire came into force on December 18.

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UN Envoy in Yemen for Talks on Hudaydah Truce

reporter 1222 — Tue, 22 Jan 2019 09:37:20 +0000

The UN envoy for Yemen landed in Sana’a on Monday for talks aimed at shoring up a truce between forces loyal to Yemen’s fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and he Ansarullah movement in the port city of Hudaydah.

Martin Griffiths landed in the capital at around 10:30 am local time (1330 GMT), an official at Sana’a airport told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A UN source confirmed the news, saying Griffiths was in Yemen to “work on the rapid implementation of the Hudaydah agreement”.

Griffiths hosted hard-won peace talks between the two sides in Sweden last month.

Monday’s visit marks Griffiths’ second trip to Yemen this month.

The two parties agreed to a ceasefire in Hudaydah, home to impoverished Yemen’s most valuable port.

The Hudaydah agreement stipulates the withdrawal and redeployment of rival forces from the city, two clauses that have yet to be fulfilled.

Griffiths was working to convene a “face-to-face” meeting in Hudaydah of the committee tasked with overseeing the deal, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

The UN envoy is expected to travel to Riyadh in the coming days.

The UN said a team tasked with monitoring the truce, led by chief monitor Patrick Cammaert, came under fire in Hudaydah on Friday but was unharmed.

The UN did not identify who was behind the shooting.

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Explosions Rock Yemen’s Main Port for 2nd Day after Truce

reporter 1222 — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 09:08:04 +0000

Explosions rocked Yemen’s Red Sea city of Hudaydah for a second day on Wednesday despite a UN-mediated ceasefire meant to pave the way for peace negotiations to end Saudi war on the impoverished Arab country.

Residents said six blasts near the 7 July eastern suburb broke the calm, but it was not clear who was responsible, Reuters reported.

The United Nations-brokered the truce deal as part of confidence-building measures at peace talks last week in Sweden to avert a full-scale assault on the port that is vital for urgent aid supplies for millions facing starvation.

A UN-chaired committee formed to oversee the truce and troop withdrawal from Hudaydah city and three ports held its first meeting on Wednesday using video link and phone with representatives from both sides.

Retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert, chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee, will travel to Jordan on Thursday, then on to Sana’a and Hudaydah, with a small initial advance team, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The ceasefire deal, which covers only Hudaydah, will see international monitors deployed in the city and port with all armed forces pulling out within 21 days of the truce.

The two sides had also agreed a prisoner swap. A Red Cross official said in Geneva on Wednesday they had exchanged lists of a total of 16,000 people believed to be detained.

Hudaydah, the main port used to feed Yemen’s 30 million people, has been the focus of fighting this year, raising fears abroad that a full-scale assault could cut off supplies to nearly 16 million people suffering from severe hunger.

The truce, the first significant breakthrough in peace efforts in five years, is meant to pave the way for a wider ceasefire in the impoverished country and a second round of talks in January on a framework for political negotiations.

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Yemen’s Ansarullah Says Ceasefire Reached for Hudaydah

reporter 1222 — Fri, 14 Dec 2018 18:53:25 +0000

Spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement Mohammad Abdulsalam, who headed a delegation in the UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden, said a ceasefire was reached in the last day of the talks for the western port city of al-Hudaydah.

Abdulsalam said the warring parties agreed on Thursday to a ceasefire for the flashpoint city of Hudaydah and its surrounding governorate, the Arabic-language Al Mayadeen TV reported.

“We agreed that the United Nations should monitor the process of inspection of ships in the port of Hudaydah,” he added.

“We gave many concessions on Hudaydah to save the Yemeni people, and we retreated from our positions,” the senior Yemeni official noted.

The Ansarullah suggested that the passenger planes should go to Jordan and Egypt before departure for Sana’a, Abdulsalam went on to say.

The Yemeni peace talks opened in the Swedish capital of Stockholm on December 7 on an upbeat note, with the warring sides agreeing to a broad prisoner swap, boosting hopes that the talks would not deteriorate into further violence as in the past.

Some 8.4 million Yemenis are facing starvation as a result of the Saudi-led aggression, although the United Nations has warned that will probably rise to 14 million.

Three-quarters of impoverished Yemen’s population, or 22 million people, require aid.

Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out deadly airstrikes against the Houthi Ansarullah movement in an attempt to restore power to fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.

The Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights announced in a statement on March 25 that the war had left 600,000 civilians dead and injured until then. The war and the accompanying blockade have also caused famine across Yemen.

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