In Yemen, a United Nations official tasked with overseeing a fragile ceasefire in the strategic port city of Hodeidah is calling on Houthi rebels and fighters with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government to maintain their truce. Patrick Cammaert, a retired Dutch general, spoke to representatives of the warring parties after a U.N. team arrived in the besieged city on Monday.
Patrick Cammaert: “If you read the agreement, the timelines are very tight. That means that the ceasefire started on the 18th of December at midnight, which is extremely important that both sides are holding that, and that both sides show not the blame you and he blames him and everybody blames everybody. Breaking a ceasefire is going back and not forward.”
The ceasefire has largely held since it began on December 18. Humanitarian groups warn a return to fighting could cut off shipments of desperately needed food and aid as half of Yemen’s 28 million people are on the brink of famine.