Yemeni Conflicting Sides Agee On New Measures To Support Ceasefire In Al Hudaydah - UN

Yemeni warring parties agreed on new policies to bolster the ceasefire regime in the port city of Al Hudaydah amid an increase of violence in the governorate, the United Nations said in a statement on Monday

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2019) Yemeni warring parties agreed on new policies to bolster the ceasefire regime in the port city of Al Hudaydah amid an increase of violence in the governorate, the United Nations said in a statement on Monday.

On July 14-15, members of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) for the first time since February convened for a joint meeting aboard a UN vessel to discuss steps on the implementation of the Hudaydah Agreement.

"After a recent uptick in ceasefire violations in Hudaydah city and governorate, the parties were keen on finding ways to de-escalate tensions," the statement said. "They agreed on a mechanism and new measures to reinforce the ceasefire and de-escalation, to be put in place as soon as possible with support from UNMHA [UN Mission to Support the Hudaydah Agreement]."

The statement said that as a result of the meeting, the RCC members also finalized agreements regarding its technical work and currently anticipate the relevant authorities to proceed with its enforcement.

Arrangements regarding local forces, local authority and revenues had not been reached during the recent talks, the statement added.

Earlier on Monday, the UN Security Council extended the mandate of the UNMHA to assist the Yemeni sides in the implementation of the Hudaydah Agreement for another six months.

The armed conflict in Yemen between government forces, led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, and the Houthis has been ongoing since 2015. The United Nations has repeatedly called the Yemeni conflict the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 24 million people - more than 80 percent of the country's population - currently in need of aid.

Last December, the conflict parties attended UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden and concluded a ceasefire agreement for the port city of Al Hudaydah.