Yemen’s Red Sea ports have played a key role in the country’s bitter and protracted civil war. Hodeidah in particular has remained a vital port for the import of humanitarian goods, and has been the site of bitter conflict and destructive airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition against the Houthis who are supported by Iran.
Sitting well within Houthi controlled territory, the port has been used strategically throughout the war by the armed group. Most recently the Houthis by means of blockades and coercion have managed to direct the country’s trade flows through Hodeidah at the expense of ports controlled by their opponents: the internationally-recognized government led by the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council which is represented on the PLC. (CONTINUED - 1944 WORDS)
