Yemeni Joint Forces said on Friday they had withdrawn from around the main Red Sea port of Hodeidah.
A statement said there was no longer any purpose in maintaining positions around Hodeidah city in western Yemen, due to a truce in place there under a United Nations-sponsored pact.
The pact was agreed by the warring sides in late 2018 to spare Hodeidah, Yemen's main entry point for commercial imports and aid flows, but a troop withdrawal by both sides stipulated under the deal had stalled since 2019.
"The joint forces recognized the mistake of remaining in defensive barricades, unable to fight under an international pact, while various front lines require support," they said.
A UN mission observing the ceasefire said it wasn’t notified before the withdrawal. It said pro-government forces pulled back from their positions in Hodeidah and south of the city.
But the UN secretary general's deputy spokesman said he was aware of the reported withdrawal near Hodeidah and the Houthi militias' move into the vacated areas, and was watching the situation closely.
"We call on all parties to the conflict to ensure the safety and security of civilians in and around those areas where shifts in frontlines have taken place," Farhan Haq told a regular briefing.
