Chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee and Head of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA) said Houthi military installations and equipment had been removed from Saleef and Ras Isa but largely remained in Hodeidah.
General Michael Lollesgaard called on the Houthis to “expeditiously complete the removal of all military manifestations, including trenches as part of their commitment to the process.”
Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq said Lollesgaard confirmed in letters to Yemen's government and the Houthis in the Redeployment Coordination Committee.
He explained that the letters “contained updated information on the case of the initial redeployment” carried out by the Houthis in the three Red Sea ports; Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Isa between May 11 and 14, 2019.
“Since May 14, the Houthi military presence was not detected in the ports by regular verification patrols” carried out by the UN, Haq quotedLollesgaard as saying.
Lollesgaard said in a statement that the Houthi pullout from the ports was “significant” and had transformed the ports into a “civilian space” for Yemen’s port authorities to carry out their work, with UN support.
He said coast guard forces were providing port security, but the UN could not yet confirm if the coast guard was operating at the agreed strength of 450.
Lollesgaard said last month that a phase one withdrawal by government and coalition forces would not take place until the warring parties had worked out details for a broader phase two redeployment around Hodeidah 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 Hodeidah deal.
Hodeidah 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.
