Over the past one and a half years, the coalition has prevented dozens of ships from entering Hudaydah, which is the lifeline to many Yemenis, and blocked Yemen’s much-needed fuel imports amid a crippling siege of the port.
On Friday, the UN announced that the two warring sides had agreed on a two-month ceasefire that would come into effect on Saturday and could be renewed with the consent of parties.
UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said at the time that the aim of the ceasefire “is to give Yemenis a necessary break from violence, relief from the humanitarian suffering, and most importantly hope that an end to this conflict is possible.”
On Monday, the Yemen Petroleum Company (YPC) said in a statement, “The fuel ship, Ceasar, has now arrived to the port of Hodeida after being held up for 32 days.” A day earlier, it also announced the arrival of the first boat after it had been “held up for 88 days.”
The current shipment “will not end the fuel crisis, as the demand is very high… but it could alleviate its severity,” said Essam al-Moutawakel, a spokesman for the YPC.
Under the UN-brokered truce, all ground, air and naval military operations, including cross-border attacks, should cease.
Eighteen fuel ships will also be allowed into Hudaydah and two commercial flights a week can resume in and out of the Sana’a international airport.
