عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Houthi Violations in Hodeidah Threaten to Collapse Stockholm Agreement

Ships are seen at the Hodeida port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad
Ships are seen at the Hodeida port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad
    Aden, Riyadh- Ali Rabih and Abdulhadi Habtoor
TT
TT

Houthi Violations in Hodeidah Threaten to Collapse Stockholm Agreement

Ships are seen at the Hodeida port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad
Ships are seen at the Hodeida port, Yemen May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad

Fears of the UN-sponsored Stockholm Agreement collapsing between the internationally recognized government of Yemen and Iran-backed Houthi militias have resurfaced with the latter stepping up attacks against civilians in recent days.

Yemeni government sources have raised the alarm on the fragile deal falling apart in the port city of Hodeidah, labeling the situation as “very dangerous.”

The UN Security Council and the international community need to reassess the status of the UN mission stationed in Hodeidah, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat, explaining that the peacekeeping taskforce has been taken “hostage” by Houthis.

Last September, the Yemeni government suspended its participation in all meetings with the UN Mission to support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) and conditioned its return with the replacement of UNMHA Head Lt. Gen. Abhijit Guha.

Guha had succeeded Lt.Gen. Michael Lollesgaard in October 2019. He also chairs the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) in Hodeidah.

“Two years have passed since inking the Stockholm Agreement and the situation of the UN mission in Hodeidah is very bad. It was unable to achieve anything,” Yemeni government spokesperson Rajeh Badi told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“It (UNMHA) became a hostage of the Houthi militia,” Badi added, explaining that the UN body is greatly influenced by Houthi orders and is unable to take any action that could potentially anger the Iran-aligned group.

Houthi militias, on Saturday, launched a round of Katyusha rockets that targeted government-run areas and residential complexes in Hodeidah’s al-Manzhar neighborhood. In the attack, al-Qassimi mosque was destroyed.

The Yemeni Foreign Ministry, for its part, repeated its call to the international community and the UN to condemn the Houthi attacks on Marib, government-controlled areas in Hodeidah and Saudi Arabia, stressing that the Houthis are contradicting their commitments to peace initiatives and previous agreements.

“Houthi violations in Hodeidah and attacks on Marib, which is a shelter for millions of internally displaced people fleeing Houthi oppression, coincide with their continued targeting of Saudi Arabia. It all confirms again how Houthis don’t care about agreements and seeking peace,” the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Yemen’s Foreign Ministry repeated its call to the international community and the UN to condemn Houthi attacks on Marib, Hodeidah and Saudi Arabia.

“Houthi violations in Hodeidah and attacks on Marib, which is a shelter for millions of internally displaced people fleeing Houthi oppression, coincide with their continued targeting of Saudi Arabia,” the ministry said.

“It confirms again that the Houthis don’t care about agreements and seeking peace,” it affirmed.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Blinken Seeks to Avert Syria Turmoil with Europeans on Final Trip

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
TT
TT

Blinken Seeks to Avert Syria Turmoil with Europeans on Final Trip

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) met French FM Jean-Noel Barrot in Paris. Ludovic MARIN / POOL/AFP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was heading on Thursday to Rome for talks with European counterparts on bringing stability to Syria in the face of flare-ups with Türkiye, capping what is likely his final trip.
Blinken had been expected to remain in Italy through the weekend to join President Joe Biden but the outgoing US leader scrapped his trip, which was to include an audience with Pope Francis, to address wildfires sweeping Los Angeles.
Blinken, on a trip that has taken him to South Korea, Japan and France, was heading on Thursday from Paris and will meet for dinner in Rome with counterparts from Britain, France, Germany and Italy.
In Paris on Wednesday, Blinken said the United States was united with the Europeans on seeking a peaceful, stable Syria, a month after the opposition factions toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
But concerns have mounted over Türkiye’s threats against Syrian Kurdish fighters, who have effectively run their own state during the brutal civil war engulfing Syria.
A war monitor said that battles between Turkish-backed groups, supported by air strikes, and Kurdish-led forces killed 37 people on Thursday.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have worked with the United States on Washington's main stated priority -- battling the ISIS extremist group -- but Türkiye says the SDF has links with PKK militants at home.
Blinken in Paris said that Türkiye had "legitimate concerns" and that the SDF should gradually be integrated into a revamped national army, with foreign fighters removed.
"That's a process that's going to take some time. And in the meantime, what is profoundly not in the interest of everything positive we see happening in Syria would be a conflict," Blinken told reporters.
"We'll work very hard to make sure that that doesn't happen."
Blinken said he expected no change on goals in Syria from US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes over on January 20.
During his last term, Trump briefly said he would accede to a plea by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to pull out US troops that have been working in Syria with the Kurdish forces.
But he backed down after counter-appeals led by French President Emmanuel Macron.
When to ease sanctions?
Also on the agenda in Rome will be whether and when to ease sanctions on Syria.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday that some sanctions "could be lifted quickly".
The US Treasury Department said this week it would ease enforcement on restrictions that affect essential services.
But US officials say they will wait to see progress before any wider easing of sanctions -- and the Biden administration is unlikely in its final days to accept the political costs of removing Syria's victorious Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels from the US "terrorism" blacklist.
While Western powers are largely in synch on Syria, some differences remain.
Blinken reiterated US calls on European countries to repatriate citizens of theirs detained in Syria for working with the ISIS group and languishing in vast camps run by the Kurdish fighters.
France and Britain, with painful memories of attacks by homegrown extremists, have little desire to bring militants back.
The Rome talks come a week after the French and German foreign ministers, Jean-Noel Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, jointly visited Damascus and met new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa to encourage an inclusive transition.
Sharaa, has promised to protect minorities after the fall of the iron-fisted but largely secular Assad.
A senior US official in turn said last month on meeting Sharaa that Washington was dropping a $10-million bounty on his head.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani will pay his own visit to Syria on Friday, during which he plans to announce an initial development aid package.
Italy's hard-right government has pledged to reduce immigration. Millions of Syrians sought asylum in Europe during the civil war, triggering a backlash in some parts of the continent that shook up European politics.
In contrast to other major European powers, Italy had moved to normalize ties with Assad just weeks before he fell, presuming at the time that he had effectively won the war.