Yemen s government on Sunday accused rebels of a “policy of deception” after they announced a pullout from a string of Red Sea ports in a long-delayed move agreed under a ceasefire deal last year.
The docks serve as a lifeline for millions in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country, which has been pushed to the brink of famine by more than four years of devastating war.
According to the United Nations, the Huthi insurgents began to withdraw from the ports of Hodeida, Saleef and Ras Issa on Saturday.
The pullback is considered a first step in implementing a hard-won truce agreement for Hodeida struck in Sweden in December between Yemen s Saudi-backed government and the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels.
The flashpoint city is the main entry point for Yemen s imports and humanitarian aid.
But government officials cast doubts over the handover process, saying it was unclear who was taking control of the ports, and experts said it was too soon to say if the move represented genuine progress.
“The (Sweden) agreement is very difficult to execute because the lines are blurry and each side interprets it the way it wants to,” said Yemen expert Farea al-Muslimi, a visiting fellow at the London-based Chatham House think tank.
“Overall, the next two weeks will show if this is a handover or a yet another hangover,” he told AFP.
