Yemeni Govt Links Hodeidah Cooperation to Guha’s Removal

Lieutenant General (retired) Abhijit Guha, Asharq Al-Awsat
Lieutenant General (retired) Abhijit Guha, Asharq Al-Awsat
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Yemeni Govt Links Hodeidah Cooperation to Guha’s Removal

Lieutenant General (retired) Abhijit Guha, Asharq Al-Awsat
Lieutenant General (retired) Abhijit Guha, Asharq Al-Awsat

The Yemeni internationally recognized government has officially suspended meetings with the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), saying it will resume attending talks only when the head of the mission is changed.

Retired Lieutenant General Abhijit Guha is the chair of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) and the head of UNMHA. He succeeded Lt. Gen Michael Anker Lollesgaard in 2019.

UNMHA is focused on working to achieve its personal interests, member of the government’s RCC team, Col. Khaled al-Kawkabani, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“The UN mission in Hodeidah is working for itself and does not work within the agreed framework, and its members did not comply with what we requested regarding the killing of Colonel al-Sulayhi in an area supposedly secured by UNMHA,” al-Kawkabani said.

He also noted that UNMHA did not cooperate with the request to relocate the mission’s headquarters.

The mission, in October 2019, established five observation posts to monitor a ceasefire which was violated by Houthi militias.

“The mission's presence inside the city of Hodeidah places it under the control of the Houthis,” al-Kawkabani contended.

“Guha and his team do not think about the success of the mission as much as they think about obeying and satisfying Houthis so that they can continue their work and receive salaries,” he explained.

The government delegate added that UNMHA, under Guha, has undermined the agreement and “wasted” Hodeidah.

Houthis in Hodeidah are not only committing violations under Guha’s supervision, but are also seeking to occupy new lands.

Al-Kawkabani also accused Guha of implementing the Houthi agenda and said that it was the reason behind the Yemeni Foreign Ministry requesting his removal.

“He (Guha) has been compromised by the Houthis,” he emphasized.

According to the Yemeni Foreign Ministry, violations of the ceasefire committed by Houthi militias have escalated significantly, reaching 7,378 violations during July 2020 alone.



US Says Committed to 'Diplomatic Resolution' in Lebanon

FILE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks in Greenwich, London, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)
FILE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks in Greenwich, London, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)
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US Says Committed to 'Diplomatic Resolution' in Lebanon

FILE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks in Greenwich, London, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)
FILE - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks in Greenwich, London, Sept. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, Pool, File)

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed that the United States was dedicated to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon and urged Israel to improve "dire" conditions in Gaza, in a call Saturday with his Israeli counterpart.

Austin "reiterated US commitment to a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon that allows Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return safely to their homes on both sides of the border" in his call with Israel Katz, according to a Pentagon spokesperson.

Austin also "urged the Government of Israel to continue to take steps to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza and emphasized the US commitment to securing the release of all hostages, including US citizens."

Lebanon said Saturday that an Israeli air strike in the heart of Beirut that brought down a residential building and jolted residents across the city killed at least 11 people.

Israel stepped up its campaign against the Hezbollah militant group in late September, targeting its strongholds in Lebanon.

Lebanon's health ministry says at least 3,645 people have been killed since October 2023, when Hezbollah began trading fire with Israel in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas.

The United Nations and others have repeatedly decried humanitarian conditions, particularly in northern Gaza, where Israel said Friday it had killed two commanders involved in Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack.

In the call with Katz, Austin also discussed ongoing Israeli operations and reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad commitment to Israel's security," the Pentagon said.