Uneasy calm in Yemen’s Hodeida

HODEIDA, Yemen: Yemenis in battle-scarred Hodeida had a brief respite on Thursday as the port city remained calm -- but many fear that a return to violence is only a matter of time.

Armed men roamed the streets of the rebel-held city on pick-up trucks and motorbikes on Wednesday, some carrying rocket-propelled grenades, as civilians tried to go about their lives.

"Every time they announce a truce, something worse happens," said resident and mother of five Fatima Ali. "The fighting stops for a period of time and then continues. I am worried about my children," the 45-year-old said.

Ali lives in the Ghalil neighbourhood near the Al-Thawra hospital in the south of the city, which was rocked by a series of explosions on Sunday. Hundreds of medical workers and patients fled as battles approached the facility, prompting international outcry.