Background
The Hudaydah Agreement provides for the creation of a joint and agreed upon Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC) chaired by the United Nations and comprised of, but not limited to, members of the parties to oversee the ceasefire and the re-deployment as well as demining operations in the ports of Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Isa. The first meeting of the RCC was held in the city of Hudaydah from 26 to 28 December 2018, just two weeks after the signing of the Stockholm Agreement.
In implementing its mandated task to lead and support the functioning of the RCC, UNMHA has chaired the RCC since its inception, facilitating dialogue between the parties and preserving mediation space. The RCC was established to provide a forum in which the parties could share information regarding the ceasefire, build mutual trust and de-escalate and prevent the recurrence of conflict. It is composed of senior military officials from both parties with two co-chairs nominated from each side working closely with the Chair.
The RCC ceased functioning as a joint mechanism in early 2020 due to emerging political differences between the parties and triggered by an unfortunate shooting incident and death of a Government of Yemen (GoY) liaison officer at one of the observation posts in March 2020. UNMHA has however sustained bilateral engagement with the co-chairs and delegations from both sides, enabling its good offices role to continue and support stability in Hudaydah while addressing the implementation of the Hudaydah Agreement and related matters. Bilateral RCC meetings take up a number of issues, including the resumption of the joint mechanism; the opening of roads and humanitarian and civilian crossing points on the front line in Hudaydah; cooperation on mine action across the front line; community engagement; implementation of QIPs; and patrolling.