The head of a UN mission tasked with overseeing a peace deal in Yemen's Hodeidah port city was reportedly safe after his convoy was shot at by Houthi militia on Thursday. "Patrick Cammaert and team are safe in Hodeidah following reported shooting incident. More information to come later," the office of the spokesperson for the UN chief tweeted. A Yemeni source said the convoy was visiting an area under its control when Houthi fighters opened fire. The Houthi attack on the monitors was a "significant development," Yemeni government spokesman Rajih Badi said on Thursday. Cammaert arrived in the Red Sea port city on Dec. 22 to head the committee overseeing implementation of a ceasefire and troop withdrawal deal reached at peace talks last month in Sweden between the Houthis and the Yemeni government. The UN Security Council approved on Wednesday the deployment of up to 75 observers to Hodeidah for six months to monitor implementation of the deal, which was the first significant breakthrough in peace efforts in five years. The Arab coalition forces intervened in the war in 2015 against the Houthi militia to restore the internationally recognized government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, which was ousted from the capital Sanaa in 2014. UN envoy Martin Griffiths has said that substantial progress was needed in Hodeidah before more talks can be held on ending the war. — Agencies
