The ceasefire in the Yemeni city and port Al-Hudaydah collapsed on Tuesday morning after heavy clashes started at midnight between the Houthi fighters and the forces of the internationally recognised government.
According to pro-government military sources to the Agence France-Presse, “There has been complete calm since three am (Yemen’s time) in the city of Al-Hudaydah.”
Last week, following a week of peace talks, the two Yemeni rivals, the internationally recognised government, and the Houthi group, agreed in Rimbo in Sweden, to withdraw forces from the port city of Al-Hudaydah, and to implement a ceasefire in the city.
Al-Hudaydah port lies 230 kilometres away from the capital Sanaa, and is controlled by the Houthi movement. The port receives 80% of the basic commodities that the country receives. Since June 2018, the city has been under the threat of the Saudi-led coalition’s raids.
Saudi Arabia formed the Coalition for Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen in March 2015, after the Houthi group, backed by Iran, seized control of the Yemeni capital Sanaa in September 2014.
Besides Saudi Arabia, the coalition includes the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Pakistan, Djibouti, Sudan, Senegal, Kuwait, Morocco, Malaysia, and Egypt, as well as the internationally recognised government of Yemen. Qatar was part of the coalition but left, following the eruption of the Gulf crisis in May 2017.
