Saudi ambassador to Yemen says UN agreement requires Houthi withdrawal from Hodeidah

Houthis control Sanaa and other most populated areas, while ousted government based troops control Aden

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Yemen said on Thursday that UN-backed agreements between Yemen's warring parties required the withdrawal of Houthi forces from the strategic port city of Hodeidah.

Mohammed al-Jabir said the agreements, which have not been released to the public in full after talks in Sweden, required the Houthis' "withdrawing from the city and port of Hodeidah, as well as Taiz, and the release of thousands of detainees and prisoners."



The Houthis control Sanaa and the other most populated areas, while the ousted government based in the southern city of Aden has struggled to advance despite the aid of Arab states.

No peace talks have been held since 2016, and the last attempt in Geneva in September failed when the Houthis did not attend.

The humanitarian suffering in one of the world’s poorest countries has added to pressure on the parties to end the conflict, with faith in the Saudi-led war effort flagging among Western allies that arm and support the coalition.