Cease-fire reached in parts of Yemen

The two warring sides in Yemen have agreed to withdraw their troops from the restive port city of Hodeida, with a cease-fire extending across the entire province, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said Thursday. The agreement capped weekslong peace talks that took place in Sweden. As part of the deal, the UN will establish humanitarian corridors and deploy supervised neutral forces to the city. “This is just the beginning,” Guterres said, thanking the Yemeni delegations for taking an important step in the peace talks.

Yemen’s civil war began in 2015 between the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government. The unrest has left about 22 million people in need of aid in a country of 29 million, sparking one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. Intense fighting blocked off Hodeida, a major delivery port for aid entering the country. In the next round of discussions slated for January, the parties will deliberate setting up a political framework for a post-war Yemen.