Ceasefire on paper, fire on the ground

The Arab Coalition supporting the legitimate Yemeni government said yesterday that the Iranian-backed Houthi militia has violated the Sweden agreement on a ceasefire in the strategic port city of Hodeidah. “The ceasefire has been breached 62 times in the past 72 hours,” the coalition pointed out in a statement published on the state-run Al Ekhbariya TV.

It explained that the terrorist group has been using all types of weapons, including mortars, RPGs, Katyusha rockets and ballistic missiles in violation of the ceasefire agreement reached during UN-sponsored peace talks in Stockholm on December 13. The coalition also said that the Houthi ceasefire violations occurred in the Ad Durayhimi, Al Tuhayta, and Al Hali districts, as well as other areas in Hodeidah. Coalition spokesperson, Col Turki Al Maliki, said that the rebels’ “violations began from the first minutes of the ceasefire agreement in Hodeidah,” noting that the Houthi militia has also violated previous agreements. He also said that the coalition “supports the commitment of the Yemeni National Army to a ceasefire and the implementation of the terms of the Swedish agreement.”