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Yemen crisis: Hudaydah ceasefire 'broken within minutes' Yemen war: Ceasefire takes effect in Hudaydah after skirmishes
(about 4 hours later)
A ceasefire in Yemen's war was broken minutes after coming into effect, pro-government officials say. Fighting between Yemeni pro-government forces and Houthi rebels in the city of Hudaydah has reportedly subsided, after a ceasefire came into effect overnight.
The warring sides had agreed for a truce deal to be implemented in the port city of Hudaydah at midnight local time (21:00 GMT) on Tuesday. Skirmishes continued for several hours following the start of the UN-brokered truce at midnight (21:00 GMT), but locals now say it is relatively calm.
But there have been reports of sporadic clashes between the Houthi rebels and pro-government forces in the city, which is a vital gateway for aid. UN envoy Martin Griffiths said the initiative seemed to be working so far.
The rebels have reportedly shelled government forces in eastern Hudaydah. The battle for Hudaydah threatened the operation of its port, which is crucial to the delivery of aid supplies.
One pro-government official told AFP news agency clashes were ongoing. Half of the war-torn country's population - 14 million people - are on the brink of famine and an estimated 85,000 children may have died from malnutrition.
Both sides agreed to the ceasefire at United Nations-sponsored talks in Sweden last Thursday, and some hoped it would be the starting point to bringing nearly four years of civil war to a close. Yemen has been devastated by a conflict that escalated in early 2015, when the Houthis seized control of much of the west of the country, including the capital Sanaa, and forced President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee abroad.
But the truce was delayed on Friday following reports of strikes and fierce clashes. Alarmed by the rise of a group they saw as an Iranian proxy, Saudi Arabia and eight other Arab states intervened in an attempt to restore the government.
Hudaydah, 140km (90 miles) west of the capital Sanaa, was Yemen's fourth-largest city and a major economic hub before rebels took control of it in late 2014. What's happening on the ground?
Since June it has been under assault by a Saudi-led coalition backing the pro-government troops. The ceasefire covering the city of Hudaydah and the ports of Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Issa was first announced last week following talks in Sweden's capital, Stockholm. But it had to be delayed by several days because of fierce fighting.
As a port, it is also a lifeline for just under two-thirds of Yemen's population, who rely almost entirely on imports for food, fuel and medicine. The Houthis, who control the city and ports, and Yemen's government, whose forces are deployed to the south and east, have said they are now committed to abiding by the truce.
More than 22 million Yemenis need some form of aid, and eight million do not know how they will obtain their next meal. There were sporadic clashes along the front lines in Hudaydah city between 01:00 and 02:00 on Tuesday.
Saudi-funded Al Arabiya TV cited Yemeni officials as saying rebels had carried out artillery strikes on the Arts Faculty, the Ghreib district and the area around the Public Electricity Company.
However, residents said that by dawn the skirmishes had come to an end.
"The problem is that the forces have yet to disengage, and when they're close up to each other they are liable to respond to anything they see as a provocation or an alert," Mr Griffiths told the BBC.
"So we can expect some of this happening, but the pattern is a positive one."
'Yemenis hoping against hope'
By Lyse Doucet, chief international correspondent, BBC News
No-one expected the ceasefire to be smooth, simple, or straightforward. There is no trust between the warring sides. Both believe the other still wants a military solution.
The key to this truce largely holding will be the UN's presence on the ground and its ability to enforce the gradual pull-out of all forces and put in place a new order. That is why Martin Griffiths has called for its "swift" deployment.
Pressure from all the outside players in this war made this unexpected truce happen in a week of talks in Sweden. It is also essential if it is to hold. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, regarded as the architect of this war in Yemen, is said to be playing a key role in this shift from a military to a political push.
But the risk of an all-out assault on Hudaydah and Yemen's descent into famine still looms, if it all fails. Millions of Yemenis are hoping against hope that it holds.
What happens next?
Under the Stockholm Agreement, once the ceasefire takes effect a "mutual redeployment of forces" shall be carried out from the city and ports "to agreed-upon locations outside".
Mr Griffiths said that the UN would convene, possibly on Wednesday, the first meeting of the Redeployment Co-ordination Committee, which will monitor implementation. It will include members of the warring parties and be chaired by the retired Dutch general, Patrick Cammaert.
The first phase of the redeployment will see troops withdraw from the ports and critical parts of the city associated with humanitarian facilities and the UN taking a "leading role".
"By the end of the year - that is within two weeks - we hope, plan and aim to see those disengagements," Mr Griffiths said.
The full redeployment of all forces from the region should be completed within 21 days of the ceasefire entering into effect.
Mr Griffiths said this would include complete disengagement from the main road from Hudaydah to the capital Sanaa, which is crucial for the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the wider population.
The Stockholm Agreement should also see a prisoner swap and the facilitation of aid deliveries to the city of Taiz, which is besieged by the Houthis.
At least 6,660 civilians have been killed and 10,560 injured in the war, according to the UN. The fighting and a partial blockade by the coalition have also left 22 million people in need of humanitarian aid, created the world's largest food security emergency, and led to a cholera outbreak that has affected 1 million people.