Yemeni military sources warned of the dangers of the Iran-backed Houthis’ ongoing violations of the ceasefire deal in Hodeidah despite the arrival of head of the UN monitoring team to the coastal province.
They told Asharq Al-Awsat that the militias have taken advantage of the legitimate government’s commitment to the truce in order to set up more checkpoints and barricades.
They revealed that the Houthis have dispatched dozens of their members towards pro-government forces and resistance positions in eastern Hodeidah city.
A UN advance team, headed by retired Dutch General Patrick Cammaert, had arrived in Hodeidah Sunday to start monitoring the truce that was reached earlier this month in Sweden between the legitimate government and Houthis.
On Monday, Saudi-led Arab coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said that the Houthis have violated the agreement 138 times since it went into effect on December 18.
Moreover, the militias have resorted to disguising themselves as policemen and local security forces in order to remain in the city, while the deal calls on them to withdraw from Hodeidah.
This violation was proven when Houthi official Abou Ali al-Kahlani, dressed in a security forces uniform, was seen walking by Cammaert. The images prompted uproar among Yemeni social media activists
Kahlani is close to Houthi leader Abdulmalek al-Houthi and was among his personal bodyguards before being sent to Hodeidah. Activists also accuse him of committing hundreds of violations against civilians and he had personally overseen the torture of prisoners in secret detention centers.
Later on Wednesday, the UN team and representatives of the legitimate government and Houthis are scheduled to meet to oversee the ceasefire.
