Yemeni President Abdrubo Mansur Hadi has praised the efforts of Emirati forces and Arab-coalition following a meeting with Governor of Hadramout Faraj Salmeen Al Bahsani and Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghar in Aden in a rare show of unity in Yemen’s three-year civil war
Just hours after the meeting, ferocious clashes were reported near Hodeidah’s university, as fighting edged closer to the densely populated city centre, following the pro-government force’s capture of the airport on Wednesday
Reuters reported that the Houthis had deployed further fighters to the city centre, while Yemeni journalist Baseem Al Jenani reported that the rebel group had been forced to move artillery units placed in the residential neighbourhood of Galil, following protests from local residents
President Hadi and Governor Al Bahsani have regularly disagreed in recent years, often publicly, but the meeting served as a display of unity between the two rivals. The sit-down came as the operation to take back Hodeidah from Houthi rebels, dubbed Golden Victory, approaches its third week
Diplomatic efforts to avoid a full-scale assault on the city centre and port remained ongoing, with UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, due to meet with Mr Hadi in the coming days. The expected meeting comes after a trip to Sanaa last week where he met with the Houthi leadership
Mr Griffiths is also scheduled to present a report on Yemen to EU foreign ministers on Monday at a meeting in Luxembourg
“I am encouraged by the constructive engagement of the Ansar Allah [Houthi] leadership in Sanaa and I look forward to my upcoming meetings with President Hadi and the Government of Yemen,” he said in a statement
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash, reiterated his demand that only a Houthi-withdrawal from the port would bring the operation to an end. “They must withdraw unconditionally from the port and city,” he said on Twitter. “The onus is on the Houthi’s to withdraw and stop threatening the people of Hodeida”
Meanwhile, International Crisis Group reported that the battle for Hodeidah was reaching a point of no return, and the prospects of a negotiated settlement entered the city proper
An alert by the group read “This is the final, fragile moment in which it may still be possible for UN-led negotiations to prevent a destructive fight that is likely to exacerbate dire humanitarian conditions and further delay broader negotiations to end the war”
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