The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution to send a six-month UN observer mission to Yemen to oversee a ceasefire and withdraw troops from the western city of Hodeidah.
The resolution, adopted at the initiative of the United Kingdom, provided for a mission of 75 civilian observers. It is noteworthy that since the end of December 2018 and the impact of a previous UN resolution, 15 observers were deployed in Yemen under the command of Dutch General Patrick Cammert.
Observers have been overseeing a ceasefire since December 18 in Hodeidah, where there is a very important port to deliver humanitarian aid to about 20 million Yemenis. Upon completion, UNOMIG will also operate in the ports of Slif and Ras Issa and will monitor the withdrawal of the militants from these three ports as well as from the city of Hodeidah.
The new UN involvement in Yemen comes after an agreement reached in early December in Sweden between the Houthi rebels backed by Iran and the Yemeni government backed by a Saudi-led military alliance.
He announced a new round of negotiations in January, but will not be held until next February, according to the UN Security Council recently announced the United Nations envoy to Yemen Martin Griffith, according to diplomats.
The envoy had publicly called a week ago for "substantive progress" on the December agreements before a second round of talks was scheduled to be held in a place not yet decided.
Yemen´s war is between the Houthis, backed by Iran, and the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has been militarily backed since 2015, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The conflict left around 10,000 dead and, according to the United Nations, caused the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. NGOs say the number of victims of the conflict is much higher.
