After Yemen truce, first fuel ships enter rebel-held Hodeida

HODEIDA,  Yemen — Two fuel ships have entered war-torn Yemen's port of Hodeida, the first shipment in months, the rebels who control the city said on Monday, after a UN-brokered truce went into effect.

Yemen has been embroiled in conflict between the government, supported by a Saudi-led military coalition, and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels since 2014, when the insurgents seized the capital Sanaa.

Since 2016, the coalition has enforced an air and sea blockade, with exemptions for aid flights, accusing Tehran of smuggling weapons to the rebels. Iran denies the charge.

"The fuel ship, Ceasar, has now arrived to the port of Hodeida after being held up for 32 days," the Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC), which is under rebel control, said in a statement.

On Sunday, it announced the arrival of the first boat after it had been "held up for 88 days".

Flights to and from Sanaa are to follow under the ceasefire deal.

Areas under rebel control, which include much of the country's north and parts of the west, have suffered a fuel crisis for months, with the Houthis accusing the coalition of detaining oil ships since the start of January.

But a two-month truce took effect Saturday, the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, bringing a glimmer of hope in a brutal conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and left millions on the brink of famine in Yemen, long the Arab world’s poorest country.

Essam Al Moutawakel, a spokesman for the YPC, told AFP that the latest fuel shipments “will not end the fuel crisis, as the demand is very high... but it could alleviate its severity”.

Under the UN-brokered agreement, all ground, air and naval military operations, including cross-border attacks, should cease.

In addition, 18 fuel ships are to be allowed into Hodeida Port, a lifeline for Yemen, and two commercial flights a week can resume in and out of Houthi-held Sanaa airport.

Cairo-Sanaa flights 

David Gressly, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said he welcomed the commitment to allow fuel ships through the ports of Hodeida province.

“These ports are critical entry points for fuel, food and other essential commodities into Yemen,” he said.

“The resumption of some commercial flights into and out of Sanaa International Airport will be welcome news to many Yemenis, including those who have been waiting for an opportunity to seek medical treatment or education abroad and for families who hoped to reunite” over Ramadan, Gressly added.

The director general of Sanaa airport, Khaled Al Shayef, said the first flights between Sanaa and Cairo were “expected within the next two days”, according to the rebel-run Al Masirah television channel.

“We are not facing any difficulties or problems to receive these flights and are ready to provide various navigational services for aircraft and passengers,” he said.

“The two trips [per week] do not meet 10 per cent of the Yemeni people’s needs, but we consider it the beginning to fully opening the airport.”