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YEMEN-CONFLICT-HODEIDA,LEAD
Govt troops push in Yemeni port stalls as rebels plant mines
HODEIDA, United Arab Emirates, Nov 14, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – A push by Yemeni
loyalists to recapture insurgent-held Hodeida has stalled, according to pro-
government officials Wednesday, as local sources said rebels had planted
landmines around the city’s key port.
A relative calm was holding for a second full day Wednesday in the Red Sea
city, despite the thundering sound of jets flying overhead, with no major
clashes reported.
Pro-government forces have temporarily stopped their advance into the city
to allow safe passage for civilians, humanitarian staff and wounded, a
military official told AFP.
One military official told AFP the pro-government forces will be launching
major operations “in the coming days”.
“The battles will not stop, except with the liberation of Hodeida and the
whole west coast,” he said.
The slowdown in fighting follows diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in
the city, whose port serves as a key lifeline to the impoverished country.
Britain’s Foreign Office said Tuesday the Saudi-led alliance fighting on
the side of the government had agreed to the evacuation of up to 50 wounded
Huthi fighters to Oman following a visit to Riyadh by Foreign Secretary
Jeremy Hunt.
However, despite the apparent temporary lull, a spokesman for the Huthis
told a news conference broadcast on the rebels’ Al-Masirah TV on Tuesday that
they were ready for “war in the streets” of Hodeida.
– ‘Mining the port’ –
The Huthi rebels, who seized the Red Sea city in 2014, claimed they were
mining areas across Hodeida province, airing footage late Tuesday of what
they said were landmine explosions targeting pro-government forces.
Three port employees reached by telephone said the rebels had also begun
to mine entryways to the port overnight.
The Huthis had planted explosives near two of the port’s gates, one that
leads to Jizan Road, a main street in the city’s north, and the other near
the Alsanabel flour mill company, the said.
“There is only one entrance left into the port, and that is the main gate
that leads to Mina Street that trucks use,” one employee, who requested
anonymity, told AFP.
Hodeida port came under attack late Monday for the first time since June,
when government troops supported by a Saudi-led coalition launched an
offensive to take back the city from the Iran-backed Huthis.
The port’s deputy director, Yahya Sharafeddine, said the main entrance to
the docks had been hit, but it was fully functioning.
Residents in Hodeida say they now fear a siege on the city, home to some
600,000 people, with only one major exit route in still open to traffic, on
the northern edge.
– ‘Push for peace talks’ –
According to the United Nation’s office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), “fighting reduced in Hodeida city on 12
November” after a previous escalation in clashes and air strikes in Hodeida
province in the first 10 days of the month.
Citing data collected by the Civilian Impact Monitoring Project — linked
to the UN global protection clusters — OCHA said Tuesday 34 people were
killed among 92 civilian casualties in the first week of November in Hodeida
province.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said about 445,000 people have fled Hodeida
province since June.
Nearly four years into the war, there has been an increase in
international pressure to end the fighting in Hodeida, whose docks are the
entry point for some 80 percent of food imports and humanitarian aid into
impoverished Yemen.
The UN has warned an attack on the port would be “catastrophic” in a
country where half the population is at risk of starvation.
UN aid chief Mark Lowcock on Tuesday called for a cessation of hostilities
“in and around all the infrastructure and facilities” of the port.
UN mediator Martin Griffiths — whose efforts to host negotiations in
Geneva in September failed — met with Yemeni Foreign Minister Khaled al-
Yamani in Riyadh on Monday for talks on reviving the peace process, Saudi
Arabia’s state news agency reported.
The UN is pushing for peace talks by the end of the year, with Sweden
saying it is ready to host them.
Hodeida port is under a near-total blockade by Saudi Arabia and its
allies, who accuse Iran of smuggling arms to the Huthis. Tehran denies the
accusation.
According to UN figures, nearly 10,000 people have been killed since the
coalition joined the conflict in 2015 to bolster President Abedrabbo Mansour
Hadi, triggering what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Rights groups fear the actual toll is a lot higher.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1900HRS