عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Yemen FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Must Withdraw from Hodeidah in 4 Days

Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani. (AFP)
Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani. (AFP)
TT
TT

Yemen FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Must Withdraw from Hodeidah in 4 Days

Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani. (AFP)
Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani. (AFP)

The United Nations-brokered agreement on Yemen’s coastal Hodeidah province, which was reached in Sweden last week, will go into effect on Tuesday amid high hopes among the people that peace could be restored in the region.

Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani told Asharq Al-Awsat that the agreement stipulates that the Iran-backed Houthi militias must withdraw from Hodeidah and al-Salif ports within four days of its implementation.

“While the Hodeidah agreement states an immediate start of the ceasefire, it is normal that it takes 48-72 hours to be communicated at the operational level,” a UN source said according to Reuters. “We expect the ceasefire to be implemented starting Tuesday.”

UN special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths had said that international monitors will be deployed in Hodeidah and armed groups will withdraw from the region within 21 days.

The envoy “expects the two parties to respect their obligations as per the text and the spirit of the Stockholm Agreement, and to engage in the immediate implementation of its provisions,” Griffiths said in a tweet.

The UN is working closely with the legitimate government and Houthis “to ensure that the provisions of the Hodeidah Agreement are implemented timely and properly,” he added.

Yamani said that UN officials will monitor the redeployment of forces in Hodeidah after the Houthi withdrawal.

“The Houthis will withdraw completely from the city during the next 20 days. Our forces will redeploy to the southern and eastern city border,” he added.

A UN-chaired Redeployment Coordination Committee including both sides would oversee implementation. The committee is expected to start its work this week, the UN source said.

The next round of talks between the government and Houthis is expected to be held in January.

Yamani said that the concerned parties should only be invited to the consultations after all articles of the Stockholm deal are implemented.

This includes the release of abductees and prisoners and withdrawal from Hodeidah and reinstatement of legitimate agencies there.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
TT
TT

Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The atrocities unleashed on El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region last October were a "preventable human rights catastrophe", the United Nations said Monday, warning they now risked being repeated in the neighbouring Kordofan region.

"My office sounded the alarm about the risk of mass atrocities in the besieged city of El-Fasher for more than a year ... but our warnings were ignored," UN rights chief Volker Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

He added that he was now "extremely concerned that these violations and abuses may be repeated in the Kordofan region".

Arab World

Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
TT
TT

Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

The General Secretariat of the Arab League strongly condemned decisions by Israeli occupation authorities to impose fundamental changes on the legal and administrative status of the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the West Bank, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and signed agreements, SPA reported.

In a statement, the Arab League said the measures include facilitating the confiscation of private Palestinian property and transferring planning and licensing authorities in the city of Hebron and the area surrounding the Ibrahimi Mosque to occupation authorities.

It warned of the serious repercussions of these actions on the rights of the Palestinian people and on Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The statement reaffirmed the Arab League’s firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the establishment of their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Arab World

UN: 53 Migrants Dead or Missing in Shipwreck Off Libya

(FILES) Migrants sit on board a RHIB (Rigid inflatable boat) after being evacuated by crew members of the “Ocean Viking” rescue ship from the oil tanker the 'Maridive 703' in the search-and-rescue zone of the international waters between Malta and Tunisia, on December 31, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
(FILES) Migrants sit on board a RHIB (Rigid inflatable boat) after being evacuated by crew members of the “Ocean Viking” rescue ship from the oil tanker the 'Maridive 703' in the search-and-rescue zone of the international waters between Malta and Tunisia, on December 31, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
TT
TT

UN: 53 Migrants Dead or Missing in Shipwreck Off Libya

(FILES) Migrants sit on board a RHIB (Rigid inflatable boat) after being evacuated by crew members of the “Ocean Viking” rescue ship from the oil tanker the 'Maridive 703' in the search-and-rescue zone of the international waters between Malta and Tunisia, on December 31, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
(FILES) Migrants sit on board a RHIB (Rigid inflatable boat) after being evacuated by crew members of the “Ocean Viking” rescue ship from the oil tanker the 'Maridive 703' in the search-and-rescue zone of the international waters between Malta and Tunisia, on December 31, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)

The UN migration agency on Monday said 53 people were dead or missing after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast. Only two survivors were rescued.

The International Organization for Migration said the boat overturned north of Zuwara on Friday.

"Only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search-and-rescue operation by Libyan authorities," the IOM said in a statement, adding that one of the survivors said she lost her husband and the other said "she lost her two babies in the tragedy.”

According to AFP, the IOM said its teams provided the two survivors with emergency medical care upon disembarkation.

"According to survivor accounts, the boat -- carrying migrants and refugees of African nationalities departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, at around 11:00 pm on February 5. Approximately six hours later, it capsized after taking on water," the agency said.

"IOM mourns the loss of life in yet another deadly incident along the Central Mediterranean route."

The Geneva-based agency said trafficking and smuggling networks were exploiting migrants along the route from north Africa to southern Europe, profiting from dangerous crossings in unseaworthy boats while exposing people to "severe abuse.”

It called for stronger international cooperation to tackle the networks, alongside safe and regular migration pathways to reduce risks and save lives.