UN special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths continued his talks in Yemen’s Sanaa on Sunday to push for a deal with Houthi militias to cede control of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah to a UN-supervised committee, amid leaks that the militia leader is still waiting for Iranian orders before accepting or rejecting the demands.
Yemeni troops backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are advancing towards the strategic port city as part of their Golden Victory operation, which began last week after the expiry of a deadline set by the Emirates for the Houthis to quit the sole port under their control.
Since his arrival in Sanaa on Saturday, Griffiths did not make any statements to explain the Houthi position on his proposed plan over Hodeidah.
A Houthi leader denied the group had accepted the proposal, as the militia rejected a partial solution that only involves Hodeidah.
On Sunday, the legitimate government made clear that the Houthi militias’ intransigence and their passive response to the international peace efforts will have dangerous repercussions on the political and humanitarian levels.
The government is closely watching the UN envoy's visit to Sanaa and his mediation aimed at persuading the Houthi militia to peacefully withdraw from Hodeidah and seaport, said a government statement.
It called on the group to constructively respond to these efforts, immediately pull out from Hodeidah and hand back medium and heavy weapons, missiles and land and marine mine maps.
The Yemeni government is determined to recapture Hodeidah and all Yemeni regions that are still under militia control, it stressed.
On the battlefront, Yemeni forces besieged Hodeidah airport as Houthis fled the area from the northern gate of the city, sources said.
Other sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the UAE-backed Giants brigades were currently working on eliminating Houthi pockets in the port city.
