The joint tripartite committee of the UN’s Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) has agreed to form an operations center to monitor the ceasefire in Yemen’s Hodeidah.
The committee, headed by the UN and that includes representatives from the legitimate government and Iran-backed Houthi militias, had met on a ship off the coast of Hodeidah on Sunday and Monday.
In a statement obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, it said that the ceasefire mechanism had been activated. It has also bolstered the ceasefire that was agreed to during the committee’s last meeting, which was held in June.
The operations center has been set up at the UN headquarters in Hodeidah and includes liaison officers from the organization, legitimate government and Houthis.
It is tasked with containing the escalation and addressing field developments through the liaison officers.
Observations teams will be deployed at four posts on the Hodeidah frontlines. It will be followed with further steps aimed at preserving the ceasefire.
In addition, the members of the committee had tackled the technical and practical aspects of the UN envoy’s proposal on implementing the Hodeidah agreement. They will offer their own proposals at a later time.
On the ground, military and local sources said that an explosion at a Houthi weapons depot in Hodeidah left a number of civilian and militant casualties.
The blast rocked the al-Zaafaran neighborhood in northern Hodeidah city, leaving several Houthis dead or injured. Nearby houses were also damaged.
Residents said the depot stored weapons and was believed to also be an explosives factory.
