Yemen: Al Hudaydah Update Situation Report No. 16, Reporting period: 5 – 13 December 2018
I. Situation Overview
There were no major changes in the situation in and around Al Hudaydah City in the first half of December, prior to the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between the warring parties following the political consultations in Sweden from 6 to 13 December. The agreement includes a clause indicating that the parties will facilitate the freedom of movement of civilians and goods from and to Al Hudaydah City and the ports of Al Hudaydah, Saleef and Ras Issa and the delivery of humanitarian aid through the ports of Al Hudaydah, Saleef and Ras Issa. The UN is expected to significantly scale up its presence and operations in Al Hudaydah in the coming weeks. The UN country team is seeking the necessary administrative measures and security guarantees, in addition to the necessary resources, to facilitate and enable the planned scale up.
During the reporting period, intermittent airstrikes and artillery fire continued in areas around Al Hudaydah City, particularly in the east and northeastern outskirts, while hostilities continued in southern districts. On 8 December, the Protection Cluster reported a mass casualty incident when artillery shells hit a house in Al Hawak District resulting in 18 civilian casualties, including 10 children, 5 of whom died. In the same week, a sea mine reportedly detonated off Kamaran island killing four fishermen.
Throughout the reporting period humanitarian partners continued to assist families displaced by conflict within Al Hudaydah Governorate and in neighbouring governorates.
On 17 December, the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen announced that a ceasefire in Al Hudaydah would enter into force at 00:00 local time, on 18 December 2018.
Currency value
In Al Hudaydah City, the value of the Yemeni rial decreased again from the high of 390YER/USD reported at the end of November; money exchange shops were exchanging the rial at 492YER/USD in the first week of December and 515-520YER/USD in the second week. The value of the currency remains higher than the low of around YER 740/USD reported in October.
At the end of the reporting period, fuel prices in the city were 435YER for a litre of petrol and 475YER for a litre of diesel.
