No peace for civilians in Hodeida 2 years after peace deal

By Khaled Abdullah

Sana’a, Dec 13 (efe-epa).- Two years after the warring parties in Yemen struck their first peace deal since the conflict intensified in 2015, the violence has continued unabated while civilians suffering through the worst humanitarian crisis in the world have lost all hope of a breakthrough.

The United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeida Agreement, signed two years ago in Stockholm to cease hostilities in the eponymous Yemeni province, urged the internationally recognized government and the Shiite Houthi rebels to implement the deal.

“There has been important progress but challenges persist, including periodic violence that undermines the spirit of the Hodeida Agreement,” the head of the mission, Abhijit Guha posted to his Twitter account.

In the port city of Hodeida on the Red Sea, civilians are still being killed and fleeing their homes, despite the deal signed on 13 December 2018.

Mubarak Ali, 45, left his home in the south of the city six months ago in the wake of the escalating attacks that have had a daily impact on residential areas.

“We left our house and sought refuge with relatives outside Hodeida until we managed to move to Sanaa,” Ali tells Efe in a rented room he lives in with his wife, two daughters and a son.

“Our hope of peace has faded away with every night of continued bombardment and shelling in our neighborhood,” he says.

Sameera Mashgani, 35, and her family abandoned their house east of Hodeida four months ago and moved to Sanaa.

“Life is difficult here, we cannot afford food and we can not beg,” she tells Efe.