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Hodeidah (14°50'N., 42°56'E.)

Hodeidah, also transliterated as Hodeda, Hodeida, Hudaida or Al Hudaydah, is the fourth-largest city in Yemen and its principal port on the Red Sea. Al Hodeidah is a mid-size, 5-by-6-km city, with a densely populated old city of about 1.5-by-1.5 km. The city is primarily populated with urban and coastal people of the Shafi’i branch of Sunni Islam.

Ial al-Shaks, a researcher of economies in the Middle East, shed light online on economic data that affects the situation: "Imports to Yemen go to ports controlled by the Houthis - about 50% to about 75% of them are controlled by the Houthis. The port of Hodeidah is a large part of this. It is about tens of thousands of barrels (oil - sl) per day, very little compared to the millions of real oil exporters. But the Houthis, who specialize in flying attacks, attacked the oil terminals and blocked exports, which greatly damaged the government's source of income."

The Sheikh added that "the government in the south is also trying to damage the Houthi economy. It freezes accounts linked to the Houthis, imposes financial restrictions on them, obliges Yemeni banks to move their headquarters outside the Houthi areas and curbs imports to their ports. All this forced them to establish alternative economy". According to him, "As part of the independent economy they created, the Houthis control the companies in their territory and the cash they found in bank vaults (including the central bank). On them the Houthis operate a separate tax system, and in many cases the taxation is double. Prices rise and the Yemeni currency, the Riyal, collapses ". He noted that according to estimates, more than 20 million people in Yemen are suffering from a humanitarian crisis, "most of them with an acute lack of food."

Historically, Hodeidah was a major port city where Jews played significant roles in trade and crafts, contributing to the export of goods such as coffee and cotton. Hodeidah, with a population of 700,000 people, is the center of Al Hudaydah Governorate. Situated on the Red Sea, it is an important port, exporting coffee, cotton, dates and hides. Hodeidah city centre is 4kms from the port, and is in the centre of the northern governorates. It is connected by a transport network with the major cities. Hodeidah city has all the commercial facilities of communications, banks, hotels and hospitals etc.

Though most of Al Hodeidah’s culture and heritage sites are located outside of the city, important landmarks are found in Al Mina and Al Hawak districts. After a fire demolished much of the city in 1961, some historical sites were never restored. Though the extent is unclear, many sites have undergone further damages since the onset of the current conflict. Settlements and shops have been built around some of the landmarks, and some serve as illegal dumping sites. In order to mount reconstruction work, a comprehensive damage assessment would need to be conducted, a comprehensive management strategy would need to be set up, and training of staff is required.

Under Ottoman suzerainty until 1918, Al Hodeidah was the landing site for successive Ottoman attempts to wrestle full control of the then Imamate of Yemen from its traditional rulers. After World War I, the victorious British handed Al Hodeidah and the Tihamah plain over to the Idrisi rulers of Asir, to the north. A Yemeni-fomented revolt in Asir (by then part of KSA) in 1934 led to Saudi occupation of Al Hodeidah. That same year, the treaty of Al-Ta’if was signed which returned the city and the Tihamah Plain to Yemen; the latter, in turn, recognized KSA’s rule of Asir.

In 1961 the Soviet Union completed construction of the country’s then only deep-water port “Ahmad”, at the southern end of Khawr Khatib and north of Al Hodeidah. The construction was part of a broader effort to secure international shipping, particularly along the Red Sea and the entryway to the Suez Canal.2 Ahmad Port, opened in June 1962, enabled the city to develop itself and assert national economic influence.3 The development of new roads in the 1960s (connecting Sana’a, Ta’iz, and Al Hodeidah) made the Tihama plain accessible for agricultural production which was traded in the city and exported. In the 1970s, an economic boom, significant income from remittances, and implementation of technical assistance programs accelerated urban development in Al Hodeidah.

Khawr Kathib (Khawr Katib) (14°54'N., 42°55'E.), entered between Ras ash Shamm and Ras al Kathib, is a low and sandy peninsula subject to inundation lying about 3 miles SW, is a shallow lagoon encumbered with numerous islets, reefs, and sand banks. The port of Al Ahmadi (Al Hudaydah) (Hodeidah) World Port Index No. 48165, lies at the S end of this lagoon and is approached through a dredged channel. The port, managed by a government authority, consists of a basin with an area of about 44 acres. There is a concrete quay on its SE side and a tanker berth on its NW side. A large warehouse and a few other buildings stand on the quay. 7.60 There is occasional communication by sea with Aden. The town is connected to the general telegraph system, and a radio station is available. Fresh provisions can be obtained.

The coast has a hot desert climate year round. The average temperature is 33°C in winter with a relative humidity of 58 to 65 per cent year-round. Maximum temperatures may go up to 46°C and minimum may go down to 15°C. Strong SW winds, often reaching gale force, prevailing all during the cool season, October through April. During the hot season, cool N breezes prevail in the afternoon, but sand storms and occasional violent squalls blowing off the land are common, occurring most frequently during August and September. Rainfall is scarce and sporadic from July to September and December to January. During the monsoon period, December through February, wind speeds can exceed 45 knots. The approach channel to the harbor was dredged to a depth of 9.4m over a width of 200m. Normally, the maximum acceptable vessel length in the harbor is 200m, with drafts up to 9.75m. The dredged channel is entered in the vicinity of the Fairway Lighted Buoy, located about 5 miles NW of Ras al Kathib. The L-shaped main quay is 700m in length and can accommodate up to five vessels.

An oil berth, consisting of dolphins and with dredged depths of 8.9 to 9.4m alongside, is located in the inner harbor and can accommodate tankers up to 15,000 dwt, with a maximum length of 150m, a maximum beam of 23m, and a maximum draft of 9.1m. The oil terminal close SW of the berth is connected to the shore by a submarine pipeline extending along the SW side of the basin. 7.60 A pontoon jetty extending S from Ras al Kethib is 290m long and can accommodate vessels up to 5,000 dwt, with a maximum draft of 5.2m. 7.60 Aspect.—A conspicuous cement silo stands at the NE corner of the port area. A vessel reported that the charted wrecks, the power station showing three red lights, and a tall building showing three amber lights located in Al Ahmadi were all conspicuous. Al Ahmadi appears as a compact mass of buildings from seaward. The houses are high, usually of stone or brick; on their flat roofs are reed huts. 7.60 The old town, close to the coast, has a wall on its land side; outside this wall are many houses and sheds. Two forts, one N of the town and one S of the town, are falling into ruins. 7.60 The S fort is conspicuous. A blockhouse, 11m high, stands on a 6m high summit about 0.5 mile N of the town. A tomb, about 0.5 mile S of the S fort, is a good landmark in the afternoon and evening, when it appears white. The position is marked by three palm trees.

In the 1990s, the city’s population sharply increased as a result of the Gulf War (approximately one million Yemenis returned from the Gulf states) and Yemen’s unification. Though the Port of Aden acquired significant markets share following construction of the Aden Container Terminal in 1999, Al Hodeidah remained the most important entry point for imports to Yemen. Prior to the onset of the conflict, over 70 percent of Yemen’s food and fuel imports came through Al Hodeidah, accounting for over 40 percent of the nation’s customs income. An international airport is located 10 km south of the port and is one of the most important civilian airports in Yemen; it furthermore serves as a military airport.

In October 2014, a month after taking control of Sana’a, Houthis extended their control to the Red Sea port of Al Hodeidah (located on the northern edge of the city, just outside the main urban area), sending forces to the city’s entry points, including its airport.6 Its port – through which 70 percent of Yemen’s imports and 80 percent of humanitarian assistance flows7 – has become the country’s major aid pipeline due to the Coalition’s blockade of Yemen’s borders and airspace.8 For the Houthis, controlling Al Hodeidah is vital as it provides most of the land-locked northern Houthicontrolled areas, including Sana’a, with access to the Red Sea and its maritime traffic. Additionally, the port also generates revenue9 for the Houthis, who tax imports and control the distribution of food and fuel leaving the port. Government of Yemen (GoY) forces accuse the Houthis of using Al Hodeidah port as both financial and weapons supply line, allegations rejected by the Houthis.

Fighting erupted in Hodeidah in mid-2018 after government forces backed by the coalition moved in to wrest control of the strategic port from the Houthis. International pressure mounted to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid through Al Hodeidah could be maintained; aid agencies repeatedly warned that any damage to the city’s port or delays in aid delivery would tip the country into a full-blown famine. After months of clashes, the warring sides signed the ceasefire deal in December that year and agreed to an exchange of more than 16,000 prisoners.

Following the Stockholm Agreement, reached in Sweden in December 2018, between the Government of Yemen and the Houthis under the auspices of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, the Security Council in its resolution 2451 (2018) authorized the establishment and deployment, for an initial period of 30 days, of an advance team to begin monitoring and to support the immediate implementation of the ceasefire and redeployment of forces from the city of Hudaydah and the ports of Hudaydah, Salif and Ra’s Isa.

On 16 January 2019, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2452 (2019) authorizing the establishment of a Special Political Mission, the United Nations Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement (UNMHA). UNMHA brings together civilian, military and police personnel, to support the Yemeni parties in delivering their obligations under the Stockholm Agreement, in particular the Agreement on the City of Hudaydah and the Ports of Hudaydah, Salif and Ra's Isa (Hudaydah Agreement). Since its establishment, the Mission has focused on supporting the parties in the implementation of the Agreement and has aimed to establish an appropriate footprint in a highly challenging operational environment to ensure the discharge of its mandate.

Forces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised government have withdrawn from the strategic port city of Hodeidah, allowing Houthi rebels to retake key positions there, Yemeni officials and the United Nations said 14 Novembr 2021. The pro-government Joint Forces fighters, founded and bankrolled by the United Arab Emirates, said late on Friday they had redeployed troops away from Hodeidah because there was a ceasefire deal in place there since 2018. “The joint forces recognised the mistake of remaining in defensive barricades, unable to fight under an international pact, while various front lines require support,” they said in a statement.

A multitude of (armed) actors are present on the frontlines of the city; in 2020, particularly the eastern outskirts of the city have witnessed a relatively high intensity of hostilities; tensions between opposing groups remain high. The rule of law has significantly weakened since 2011, with increased incidents of land grabbing and other forms of criminality reported, while the precariousness of the security situation created opportunities for a variety of actors to influence court proceedings. As the formal justice system is considered weakened, Al Hodeidah city’s residents are increasingly relying on community leaders, such as tribal sheikhs, A’aqeels and security leaders, to arbitrate conflicts between individuals.