UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A UN mission in Yemen to support the ceasefire in the fourth largest Yemeni city of Hodeidah has made "a step forward" as it reached the furthest point, also a vital line, so far along the road to the capital Sana'a, a UN spokesman said Wednesday.
Although the intended additional de-mining did not take place, allegedly due to sporadic shootings, the access to the strategic 16-km (K-16) mark on the road is a step forward, said Stephane Dujarric.
The mission deployed a Liaison Coordination Team (LCT), under supervision of the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), to monitor cease-fire compliance and de-mining activity along the 226-km route from the key port city of Hodeidah to Sana'a, Dujarric added.
"The LCT reported hearing sporadic fire in the areas, but was unable to identify the source or the target," he said. "The team witnessed one casualty brought to K-16, but it was not able to determine the cause of the injuries."
Dujarric emphasized that the UN mission, which returned safely to its base, is not involved in the demining operation but only monitored the parties to the agreement fulfilling their obligation.
The operation aims to finally gain access to the Red Sea mills "where key humanitarian supplies are stored," he said, adding that the mission is working under "extremely trying circumstances."
The conflict in Yemen started in 2014 when the Houth rebels overtook Sana'a and sent the government exiled to Saudi Arabia. Since 2015, a Saudi-led coalition, backing the Yemeni government, has been fighting against the Houthis.
The fighting has spawned a severe humanitarian crisis and brought the Arab country to the brink of famine.
Problems were further exacerbated after the coalition's operation in Hodeidah started in June 2018, as the port, which had handled some 70 percent of Yemen's food imports, became unable to fully operate.
Under the auspices of the UN, the warring parties of Yemen reached a peace deal in Sweden in December 2018, which includes a ceasefire in the Hodeidah governorate and the formation of the RCC to monitor the withdrawal of troops by both the government and the Houthis in the area.
Earlier in January, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to establish a UN political mission for an initial period of six months to support the ceasefire in Hodeidah.
