Partial pullout from Yemen's Hudaydah delayed: Houthis

By Murad Erifi

SANAA

A partial withdrawal of forces from Yemen's coastal city of Al-Hudaydah has been postponed until Monday, a Houthi rebel source said.

The source, who preferred anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to media, told Anadolu Agency that the withdrawal was scheduled to take place on Sunday.

The source attributed the delay to "Yemeni government's disavowal of agreements".

For its part, the Houthi-run Al-Masirah television said the decision comes "as a result of delayed approval by representatives of the Riyadh delegation" in reference to the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

Yemeni government sources refused to comment on the decision to Anadolu Agency.

Last week, the Houthis agreed to a proposal by the UN for mutual redeployment of forces in Al-Hudaydah city in its strategic ports.

The Yemeni government, for its part, conditionally agreed to the troop redeployment plan.

On December 13, Yemeni peace talks held in Sweden concluded with a ceasefire deal in Al-Hudaydah between Houthis and the Yemeni government.

The warring parties, however, have failed to withdraw from the city amid accusations of breaching the agreement.

Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014 when the Shia Houthi group overran much of the country. The crisis escalated in 2015 when the Saudi-led coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.