Yemen gov't 'conditionally' agrees to Hudaydah plan

By Murat al-Arifi

SANAA (AA) - The Yemeni government has conditionally agreed to a UN plan for troop redeployment from the coastal province of Al-Hudaydah.

On Monday, the UN said representatives of Yemen's warring rivals made "important progress" on the redeployment of forces in Al-Hudaydah during two days of talks.

The UN said the parties reached an agreement on phase 1 of the mutual redeployment of forces in the province.

The two sides have also agreed -- in principle -- on phase 2 of the mutual redeployment, “pending additional consultations within their respective leadership”, it added.

But a government official in the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) said the government representatives have given a conditional approval of the plan.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the government wants the deal to be signed as a package, including Houthi withdrawal from the city.

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

However, the warring parties have failed to withdraw from the province 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.