Calm in Yemeni Port of Hodeidah as Ceasefire Holds

The ceasefire in Yemen’s vital aid port of Hodeidah has taken full effect on Tuesday, and while both sides have accused the other of violations, and locals have reported a bit of gunfire, calm has generally prevailed in and around the city.

The ceasefire was the last agreement reached at last week’s Sweden peace talks, and looks to have at least a bit of momentum, though the UN still isn’t decided on how they’ll go about monitoring the process, something they promised to do. In the meantime, the UN is trying to organize video talks with both sides to bolster support for the truce.

Under this truce, both sides are to withdraw all forces from Hodeidah and the surrounding area within 21 days. There is as yet no sign such redeployment is happening, which is likely a function of neither side trusting the other to honor the truce from the start.

The number of failed previous ceasefires is no doubt informing this process, as both sides are very familiar with a ceasefire ending with a decisive military offensive, and the lack of direct UN monitoring makes all of this agreement very theoretical.

Still, the longer the ceasefire holds, the more likely both sides will be to start taking chances on pulling some troops out of the area. This leaves hope that the full withdrawal from the vital city, and the end of combat in the densely populated area, will be realized.