"The parties reached an agreement on Phase 1 of the mutual redeployment of forces," the UN spokesman's office said in a statement without giving details on what was agreed. Under Phase 1, the Houthis would withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef, used for grains, and Ras Isa, used for oil. The Houthis control Hodeidah, the main entry point for the bulk of Yemen's commercial and aid imports, while other Yemeni forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition loyal to ousted President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi are massed on the outskirts. The UN statement said the two sides also agreed "in principle" on Phase 2, entailing full redeployment of both parties' forces in Hodeidah province. Under the first phase, the two sides agreed to reopen main roads linking Hodeidah to the Houthi-held capital Sanaa and in Yemen's third city of Taiz, a UN source told Reuters.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 19, 2019 16:18 UTC