Arab coalition writes to UN on Houthi attacks

Abu Dhabi - Houthi attacks have wounded 163 coalition troops and killed 23, the coalition's letter claimed.

Yemen's government and its coalition partners Saudi Arabia and the UAE have written to the UN Security Council to take notice of Houthi sniper and missile attacks in Hodeida that violate the Stockholm Agreement. 
The letter, signed by the permanent representatives of the three countries to the UN, also provides documented evidence of 268 violations committed by the Houthis in the first 13 days since the ceasefire came into force on December 18, 2018. Houthi attacks have wounded 163 coalition troops, and killed 23, they claimed.
"Our governments are deeply concerned by the lack of Houthi progress on some of their key commitments regarding the withdrawal from the port and the city of Hodeida. Not only have they failed to take the requisite steps to redeploy their forces, they have erected 109 new barriers, and dug 51 new trenches," read the letter, a copy of which was seen by Khaleej Times.
The governments claimed the attacks ranged from sniper fire and barrages of self-propelled artillery, to the launching of medium-range ballistic missiles, which the coalition said "cannot be attributed to individual ill-disciplined Houthi fighters," but are part of a deliberate Houthi strategy to provoke the coalition." Reaffirming the Yemeni government's and its Arab allies' commitment to the Stockholm Agreement, and their cooperation with General Patrick Cammaert, the letter said coalition has not conducted any air strikes or artillery strikes within Hodeida Governorate since the ceasefire came into force.
But in light of the alarming reports of repeated Houthi transgressions, the UN representatives of the three countries, said their governments are counting on the provisions of Resolution 2451 (2018) of the Agreement, "in particular the authorisation for the immediate deployment of an advance team to Hodeida to monitor compliance, and the provision for weekly reporting by the Secretary-General to the Security Council on the implementation of the Resolution."
The trio has also called upon the Security Council to strengthen the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM) regime as outlined in the Stockholm agreement, to monitor the Iranian weapons flow into Yemen and ensure compliance with its arms embargo. 
"Sustaining the Stockholm agreement requires a dramatic shift in the behaviour of Iran, which fueled the conflict by supplying weapons to Houthis," the letter read.
Houthis blocking humanitarian aid
The coalition said their governments are "both alarmed and dismayed" by the fact that a humanitarian relief convoy with 51,000 tons of food that would have fed 3.7 million people for one month was held up on December 29 by the Houthis. "The coalition had provided safe passage of this convoy through its lines, but this was not reciprocated by the Houthi side. Decisive pressure must be brought to bear immediately on the Houthis, so that full future UN humanitarian convoys can reach vulnerable populations," read the letter.
Earlier this week, WFP Director David Beasley had written a scathing letter to Houthi leader Sayyid Abdul Malik Badreddin Al Houthi condemning him for the diversion and misuse of food assistance.
Beasley has asked the Houthi leader to take action to stop stealing food from the mouths of hungry Yemeni children. "If you do not act, WFP will have no choice but to suspend the assistance. that goes to an estimated 3 million people."
The letter to the Security Council that listed the number and nature of the ceasefire violations perpetuated by Houthis also included satellite images of new trenches dug and barriers erected by Houthis, blocking humanitarian aid.
anjana@khaleejtimes.com

• MENA