Ceasefire holds in Yemen's Hudaydah amid accusations

By Mohamed al-Samei

SANAA, Yemen

A UN-brokered ceasefire has held for the second day on Wednesday in Yemen's western province of Al-Hudaydah amid accusations of violating the truce between warring rivals.

According to the Yemeni army-affiliate September Net portal, Houthi rebels have violated the deal on six fronts, but it said the government forces did not respond to the violations.

The Houthi rebel group, for its part, accused the Yemeni army of breaching the ceasefire deal in several areas in the province, according to the Houthi-run SABA News Agency.

Both sides, however, reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire deal.

It was not possible for Anadolu Agency to verify either side’s claims.

The ceasefire went into effect midnight Monday in Al-Hudaydah, which is home to several strategic Red Sea ports.

The truce between the warring camps was clinched last week during UN-sponsored peace talks in Stockholm.

Yemen has been dogged by conflict since 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa, forcing the government to take up temporary residence in the coastal city of Aden.

In 2015, Saudi Arabia and several of its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

While the Saudi-led coalition has succeeded in wresting some territory back from the Houthis, the Shia rebel group remains firmly ensconced in Sanaa and in several other parts of the country.