Partial pullout from Yemen's Hudaydah delayed: Gov't

By Murad Erifi

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - A partial withdrawal of forces from Yemen's coastal city of Al-Hudaydah has been postponed until Thursday, a Yemeni government source said.

The source, who preferred anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media, told Anadolu Agency that the withdrawal had been scheduled to take place on Thursday.

The source attributed the delay to "Houthi refusal to pull out their forces".

"The Houthis refuse to implement [the deal] on the ground although they announced that they approve the plan," he said.

On Sunday, a Houthi source said the withdrawal was postponed until Monday.

Earlier this month, the Houthis agreed to a proposal by the UN for mutual redeployment of forces in Al-Hudaydah city and its strategic ports.

The Yemeni government, for its part, has conditionally agreed to the troop redeployment plan.

On Dec. 13, Yemeni peace talks held in Sweden concluded with a ceasefire deal in Al-Hudaydah between Houthis and the Yemeni government.

The warring parties, however, have failed to withdraw from the city amid accusations of breaching the agreement.

Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014 when the Shia Houthi group overran much of the country.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.