A recent policy paper released by “MASAR Peace Initiative,” titled “Prospects for Peace in Hudaidah” reveals that the Stockholm Agreement, signed in December 2018, has failed to establish genuine peace in the strategic governorate of Hudaidah.
Instead, according to the paper published by yemenmonitor.com, Stockholm Agreement has become a tool for “consolidating Houthi control” over the provincial capital and its vital ports, allowing the rebels to expand their security, military, and economic influence at the expense of the state and local community.
Hudaidah, situated on the Red Sea near Bab al-Mandab Strait, is Yemen’s second most populous governorate, home to around 3 million people. It is also considered the country’s lifeline, with about 70% of humanitarian and commercial imports entering through its ports.
The paper, authored by journalist and human rights activist Basim Janani, found that the ceasefire period, as a result of Stockholm Agreement, became a stage for “systematic repression” by the Houthis, who exploited the truce to entrench their intelligence and security grip, imposing a suffocating police-state reality.
The paper highlights that subsequent military and diplomatic moves further boosted Houthis leverage by offering then a “golden opportunity” to re-deploy without combat costs and use the lull in fighting to reinforce their naval and intelligence capabilities, later escalating threats to Red Sea navigation.
The paper recommended that achieving peace in Hudaidah requires a “comprehensive developmental approach” that treats security and development as inseparable pillars. It calls for a review of the current management of Hudaidah port, proposing a civilian administration agreed upon by local stakeholders, with part of the revenues allocated to civil servant salaries and essential services.
It also urges a stronger role for the United Nations Mission to Support the Hudaidah Agreement (UNMHA), by enforcing accountability under Chapter VII of the UN Charter “by imposing punitive measures against those obstructing peace”, and by involving local political and community actors in designing and implementing all aspects of the agreement—military, administrative, security, and economic.