ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths arrived in the Houthi-controlled city of Hodeidah on Tuesday to closely oversee the cease-fire implementation in the turbulent province, a government official told Xinhua.
Griffiths will hold a number of meetings with representatives of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and closely oversee the cease-fire implementation on-ground, the local government official said on condition of anonymity.
The government source said that Griffiths will also meet the head of the UN cease-fire monitoring team Patrick Cammaert to discuss arrival of new observers in Hodeidah.
On Monday, the UN envoy met senior leaders of the Houthi rebel group in Sanaa, but achieved no constructive results about the situation, according to local sources.
Sources at the country's Foreign Ministry confirmed that the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pledged a Houthi withdrawal from Hodeidah's port in the upcoming period.
On Tuesday, the UN spokesperson denied Cammaert's resignation, saying in a tweet that he "continues his work, contrary to media reports."
Patrick Cammaert, a retired Dutch general, and his team arrived in war-torn Hodeidah last month to oversee the cease-fire deal reached between Yemen's government and Houthi rebels in Sweden last December.
However, the fragile cease-fire was breached multiple times by both sides despite presence of the UN cease-fire monitoring team.
Last week, gunfire targeted UN armored vehicles carrying Cammaert and his team, causing no casualties.
The cease-fire deal signed between the two warring rivals in Sweden demands full withdrawal of all armed groups from Hodeidah and its strategic seaports.
According to the deal, the UN will manage the port and supervise the re-deployment of neutral forces to prevent military escalation, while local forces will help maintain law and order in Hodeidah.
Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi rebels overtook the capital Sanaa and toppled the government of President Abd-Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.
The war has so far killed more than 10,000 people and created a serious humanitarian crisis.
