DUBAI: A ceasefire in Yemen’s battleground port city of Hodeida and its surroundings will start on Tuesday, officials say, after renewed fighting threatened the hard-won accord struck in Sweden.

The deal announced on Thursday between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and the Houthi rebels included an “immediate ceasefire” in Hodeida, whose Red Sea port serves as a crucial gateway for humanitarian aid.

A UN official, who requested anonymity, told AFP that the delay to the halt in hostilities until midnight (2100 GMT) on Monday was necessary for “operational reasons”.

Yemen’s Foreign Minister Khaled al-Yamani also told state-run television late Sunday that the ceasefire would begin at midnight Monday.

An official in the Saudi-led coalition confirmed the timing to AFP, adding that details on implementing the truce deal “were not clear at the beginning”.

The coalition “has no intention of violating the agreement ... unless the Houthis violate and dishonour it,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Residents in Hodeida and the surrounding areas have reported fierce

fighting and air strikes in recent days, as clashes continued between Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-aligned Houthis.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2018