Yemen’s Houthis boycott meeting with UN-led truce monitors

Yemeni Houthi militias on Sunday boycotted a meeting chaired by the head of a UN-led ceasefire monitoring team in the flashpoint city of Hodeidah, accusing him of pursuing “other agendas”.

Retired Dutch general Patrick Cammaert is leading a joint committee, which includes both government and militia representatives, tasked with overseeing a truce in the Red Sea port city and the withdrawal of both parties.

Houthi militia negotiator Mohammed Abdelsalam said Cammaert “steered from the course of the agreement by implementing other agendas”.

“If (UN envoy to Yemen Martin) Griffiths does not address the issue, it is going to be difficult to discuss any other matter,” he said on Twitter without elaborating.

An AFP photographer said that the Houthi representatives did not take part in the committee meeting in Hodeidah on Sunday.

The UN declined to comment.

Last month the warring parties agreed a ceasefire for Hodeidah during UN-sponsored talks in Sweden.

Despite the peace efforts, the truce was shortly  impeded after a Houthi drone targeted senior officers and journalists at Yemen’s al-Anad Military base in Lahj last week.

Clashes erupted between Houthi militias and government forces in Hodeidah on Saturday, dealing a new blow to the fragile truce.