Yemeni port of Hodeidah started working after many years of downtime
2023.02.26 08:57
Yemeni port of Hodeidah started working after many years of downtime
By Tiffany Smith
Budrigannews.com – On Saturday, a container ship carrying general commercial goods docked at Yemen’s main port of Hodeidah for the first time since at least 2016. This occurred as parties to the eight-year war in Yemen are attempting to reinstate a truce that was brokered by the United Nations.
The conflict, which pits the Iran-aligned Houthi group against a Saudi-led military coalition, has divided Yemen and caused a humanitarian crisis that has left 80 percent of the 30 million people in need of assistance.
A U.N. body established to prevent arms shipments from entering Yemen must inspect goods arriving at Hodeidah. UNVIM, which is based in Djibouti, has only approved ships carrying specific goods over the past seven years, such as cooking oil, fuel, and foodstuffs.
According to a representative of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, granting commercial ships access was a trust-building measure intended to support Saudi-Houthi talks to reinstate the October truce.
The SHEBELLE, a general cargo ship with Ethiopian flag, was cleared for use, according to port officials, by the Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM) of the United Nations.
According to Muhammad Abu-Bakr bin Ishaq, head of the Houthi-run Red Sea Ports Corporation, “The mechanism previously only provided clearance for specific shipments, but now UNVIM is granting clearances for all kinds of shipments to Hodeidah port.”
He didn’t say what the ship was carrying in its cargo.
Given that the majority of goods were entering through the government-controlled Aden port in the south, he stated to Reuters that a greater flow of goods into the western port would reduce product transportation costs.
When Reuters inquired for additional information, UNVIM did not immediately respond. There was no response from the spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition that patrols Yemen’s waters.
In March 2015, following the Houthis’ removal of the Saudi-backed government from Sanaa, the capital, the military alliance intervened in Yemen.
UNVIM, based in Djibouti, was established in May 2016 after the coalition accused the Houthis, the de facto rulers of North Yemen, of smuggling Iranian arms. Tehran and the Houthis deny the allegations.
Parallel to U.N.-led efforts to restore the truce, which has largely held, establish a formal ceasefire, and launch inclusive political negotiations are direct talks between Saudi Arabia and the movement, facilitated by Oman.
The war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, the collapse of Yemen’s economy, and millions of hungry people. The Houthis claim that they are fighting foreign aggression and a corrupt system.
