At least 12 people have been killed and 25 wounded in and around the vital Yemeni aid port of Hodeidah, as pro-Saudi forces clash with the Shi’ite Houthi movement, and Saudi warplanes strike the area.
All of this is raising concern after a successful week of peace talks in Sweden, which ended in a ceasefire deal, and growing concerns that the skirmishes might mean the ceasefire will not take hold.
The UN, and officials on both sides, are downplaying that however, saying that the official ceasefire deal has been put off a few days and will be implemented on midnight Tuesday night.
That’s the hope, at least. Violent clashes in Hodeidah have displaced thousands and are threatening the food supply for millions of Yemenis. Continued fighting in the lead-up to the new deadline might get out of control, and the ceasefire might never be implemented at all.
They rally round the family. With a pocket full of shells…