...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the
Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is
God is Great, Death to Americaâ„¢, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews...
fighters say they have started to redeploy from the port of the Red Sea city of Hudaydah as part of a UN-sponsored peace agreement signed in Sweden earlier this month.
A UN source confirmed the announcement on Saturday which saw Saudi airplanes carry out new
s despite the presence of UN observers who arrived in Hudaydah this week."Our forces have started to redeploy since last night from Hudaydah port, as agreed in Sweden," a Houthi military front man told Yemen's al-Masirah TV.
The Houthis have agreed to let international monitors to be deployed in the strategic city. Under the deal, a Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) including both warring sides will oversee implementation.
The redeployment is intended to be the first step in the implementation of the agreement, to be followed by both sides pulling their forces out of three ports of Hudaydah, Salif and Rass Issa.
The parties are due to present detailed plans for a full redeployment to head of the UN advance team charged with monitoring the ceasefire Patrick Cammaert at the next RCC meeting on Jan. 1, the United Nations
...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
said.
It is still unclear how far they will withdraw and who will control the three ports or if the two sides will share control with UN monitors positioned between the two fronts.
The UN monitors will not be uniformed or armed but will provide support for the management of and inspections at the ports and strengthen the UN presence in Hudaydah.
The agreement, the first significant breakthrough in peace efforts in five years, is part of confidence-building measures intended to pave the way for a wider truce and a framework for
political negotiations.
On Saturday, Saudi air raids hit an area near Qabiah Village in Bayt al-Faqih District on Friday, PressTV’s correspondent Mohammed al-Attab reported from Hudaydah’s countryside.
The attacks came as UN observers met with representatives of Yemen’s former government and the Houthi movement, which defends the country against the invaders.
The United Nations dispatched the team after the two sides hammered out the truce deal affecting Hudaydah Province in Sweden on December 18.