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Yemen's warring sides agreed on Thursday to a ceasefire for the flashpoint city of Hodeidah and its surrounding governorate, a major breakthrough that could end what the UN calls the "world's worst humanitarian crisis".
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that the Houthis agreed to withdraw from the strategic western city and relinquish control of three of its ports - Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Isa - which serve as a major lifeline for more than 18 million Yemenis who live in rebel-held territory.
As part of the agreement, the ports would fall under the control of "local forces", who would then send the ports' revenues to the country's Central Bank.
The Central bank would then begin paying the salaries of government employees in Houthi-held areas. As many as 1.2 million civil servants have not received their salaries in nearly two years, leaving health, education and sanitation services without the people and resources needed to keep them running.
"The agreements today mean a lot. This can be a starting point for peace and for ending the humanitarian crisis in Yemen," Guterres told reporters.
"The war in Yemen has gone on for four years. Four devastating years of suffering for the Yemeni people," he said.
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