The United Nations envoy for Yemen on Monday urged the warring parties to withdraw their troops from the port of Hodeidah quickly, and international aid agencies said that conditions for thousands of starving people were deteriorating fast. Envoy Martin Griffiths acknowledged that proposed timelines on a pull-out from the port, the main entry point for Yemen’s commercial and aid imports, had slipped while the country stood on the brink of famine. “The initial timelines were rather ambitious,” he said in comments posted on Twitter. “We are dealing with a complex situation on the ground.” The aid agencies, meeting in London, said people were struggling to feed their children in what had become the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. But, said Isabelle Moussard Carlsen of Action Against Hunger, more aid was not the only solution to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people. “I think we need to be very clear that we need a political solution to this conflict,” she said. Agreements reached in December between the Iranian-aligned Houthi movement and the Saudi-backed government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi were the first significant breakthrough in four years of conflict which has killed tens of thousands of people through military actions or other causes. But little further progress has been made, risking the unraveling of the peace efforts. The Houthis control Hodeidah and troops of a Saudi-led coalition are massed on its outskirts. The warring sides disagree over who should control the city and port after forces withdraw. The truce in Hodeidah has largely been respected since coming into force a month ago, but skirmishes continue. Troops have not yet pulled out, missing a Jan. 7 target, and residents and aid workers have told Reuters that barricades, trenches and roadblocks have been reinforced. Although fighting has escalated in other parts of Yemen, U.N. envoy Griffiths said he remained optimistic. “More than any time in the past, there is a political will demonstrated by all parties to put an end to this conflict,” he said. “What we need to see now is the implementation of the provisions of the agreement, fully and rapidly.” AFP.