Yemen Warring Parties Hold New Talks After Hodeidah Pullout

The UN has hosted a new round of Yemen talks in Jordan today, with Saudi-backed officials and the Shi’ite Houthi movement meeting after a weekend of successful pullbacks from the vital aid port of Hodeidah.

Officials say that the talks are on how the revenue from the three ports in Hodeidah Province, which were handed over to local forces, will be shared between the other factions. The Saudi-backed government also sought UN assurances that there would be more UN-run searches of cargo.

There are more phases to the deal with in withdrawing both sides’ combat forces from Hodeidah, to ensure aid continues to flow into the country. The aid ports in question feed an estimated 70% of the population of Yemen, and there was concern that fighting over the port would cut off that food and lead to a mass starvation.

The Houthis report that their phase one responsibilities have been completed, which was removing forces from the ports themselves. This was intended to have been done months ago, but both sides finally agreed on all the specifics and it got done quickly, over the weekend.