UN: Houthi withdrawal "in accordance with established plans"

The United Nations (UN) on Sunday said that first full day of the Houthi withdrawal from three ports of Yemen went "in accordance with established plans"Earlier this week the Houthis had unilaterally decided to withdraw its forces from three key ports of Hodeidah, Salif, and Ras-Issa.

The long-delayed pull out of forces by the Houthis began on Saturday from the key port of Hodeidah, as well as the two smaller ports of Saleef and Ras Isa, reported Al Jazeera. This comes as a part of a ceasefire deal reached in Sweden in December.

Former Danish General Michael Lollesgaard, head of the UN's Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), in a statement on Sunday, said: "All three ports were monitored simultaneously by UN teams as the military forces left the ports and the coastguard took over responsibility for security."

The move is seen as an important step towards ending the civil war, which started in 2014 after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa

According to the statement, activities in the coming day will keep its focus on "removal of military manifestations and de-mining."

Yemen's capital Sanaa is currently held by the Iran-backed Houthis, who killed then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh in December 2017.