UN to hold Yemen talks on port revenues

UN officials will meet with Yemen’s government and Houthi militias in Amman on Tuesday to discuss managing revenues from Red Sea ports after the Houthis agreed to pull out of those facilities.

The meeting in Jordan comes as a UN mission is to verify the redeployment of the militias from the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Issa.

The talks will focus on using revenues form the ports to pay public sector salaries in the Hodeidah province and throughout the country, a UN statement said.

Most of Yemen’s public workers have gone unpaid for months as the country’s finances and economy collapsed in the war, which has dragged on for at least four years.

The Houthis agreed to begin a withdrawal from the ports on Saturday, turning over control to a coast guard to ensure security at those facilities.

The government says the coast guard is close to the Houthi militias. Hodeidah’s governor had also said that that the move did not comply with the agreed upon terms of the Stockholm Agreement. This stipulated that the government be part of the redeployment monitoring teams, and that the Houthis clear all landmines before redeployment.

Hodeidah is the main entry point for the bulk of Yemen’s imports and humanitarian aid, providing a lifeline to millions of people who are on the brink of famine.

If the redeployment is confirmed, it could provide a boost to UN efforts to end the war in Yemen.