Yemen’s internationally recognized government reiterated its call to move UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement offices to liberated areas to guarantee impartiality and effective performance.
This follows the Houthi blocking of UN ship from leaving Hodeidah port on March 24, which was carrying liaison officers from the internationally recognized Yemeni government and intended to travel to the southwestern Yemeni port of Mocha.
Several liaison officers suspended their participation in UN observation posts established to monitor a cease-fire in the governorate in mid-March after Houthi militants shot and injured a liaison officer in Hodeidah governorate.
Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani had labled the Houthi move as a “dangerous escalation.”
“Such serious development, after Houthis attack on Colonel al-Sulayhi, the liaison officer, reaffirms that UN is unable to secure its premises and safety of its staff and need to review the mechanism of its mission to support Hodiedah agreement that has become hostage to Houthi militia,” Eryani tweeted.
Spokesman for the government's joint forces in Hodeidah Wadah Al-Dubaish confirmed that Houthis continue to block the UN ship, for the second day in a row, imposing tight security on the vessel.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dubaish said that armed Houthi militiamen stormed the ship and threatened the captain against sailing the vessel to Mocha.
According to Dubaish, 30 Houthi gunmen are holding the vessel and those aboard hostages.
The ship had been scheduled to sail on Tuesday morning for the government-controlled port of Mocha to drop off government representatives who two weeks ago suspended their participation in a UN-mediated joint negotiating team discussing a truce and troop redeployment from the contested port city of Hodeidah.
