A/HRC/45/CRP.7 troops. Houthi forces captured most of Al-Malaheet region in Al-Dhaher following a major offensive against coalition forces. 47. In January 2020, heavy fighting recommenced in Yemen. On 18 January, the Houthis allegedly launched missiles at one of the Government of Yemen military camps, El-Estikbal camp, in Ma’rib. The strike reportedly killed more than 110 soldiers from the 4th Presidential Brigade.53 Battles intensified after the strike, with both sides suffering heavy losses. At the end of January, Houthi forces captured the Sana’a - Ma’rib Governorate border checkpoint, a highly strategic intersection where the roads heading north to Al-Jawf and east to Ma’rib meet. This occurred amidst intense fighting along previously stalemated front lines in AlJawf, Nihm and Ma’rib. Since April 2020, the Houthis have fired several more missiles at military facilities in Ma’rib and advanced toward Ma’rib gaining more territory in Sirwah. 48. By the end of February, Al-Jawf’s capital, Al-Hazm, had fallen under Houthi control. The Houthi forces continued their offensive in Al-Jawf, and by April they controlled also the district of Khabb wa ash Sha'af, which borders Saudi Arabia. On 28 March, Saudi air defenses intercepted two ballistic missiles launched by Houthi forces in Yemen – one toward Riyadh, the other toward the city of Jizan.54 On 30 March, the coalition conducted a series of airstrikes in Sana’a. 49. Fighting also intensified in the Qaniyah border region, in Al-Bayda, where there is an intersection of main roads connecting Al-Abdiyah district in Ma’rib and Radman al-Awad district in Al-Bayda. These battles began in 2018, but increased in intensity and frequency after government forces began advancing on this front in April 2020. The governmental offensive coincided with Houthi forces’ pressure on the frontlines in Ma’rib. The Al-Bayda front significantly hindered the Houthis’ advance toward Ma’rib, due to their need to mobilise forces in Qaniyah.55 50. On 11 May 2020, government forces launched a massive military attack against STCaffiliated forces attempting to seize Zinjibar, the Abyan Governorate’s capital, a location of strategic importance for advancing toward the interim capital of Aden. On 20 May 2020, Saudi Arabia invited an STC delegation led by al-Zubaidi for talks aimed at ending the southern conflict and pressuring the parties to implement the Riyadh Agreement. On 22 June the two parties agreed to a ceasefire,56 and on 24 June, the coalition deployed military officers to monitor the truce in Abyan.57 51. During the reporting period, Saudi military forces maintained their presence in AlMaharah. In Socotra, the security situation remained fragile. Clashes between government forces and STC-affiliated forces erupted at the end of April 2020. On 20 June, STC-affiliated forces seized control of Socotra, announcing they were in control of government facilities and military bases on the island.58 52. In Al-Hudaydah, the ceasefire enhancement and de-escalation mechanism (the joint operations centre, and the five observation posts in the city of Al-Hudaydah) has had a positive impact in providing overall stability in that city. By the end of 2019, there had been more than an 80 per cent reduction in the number of security incidents.59 However, since the 53 See: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-camp/united-nations-condemns-attack-onyemen-camp-says-it-threatens-peace-idUSKBN1ZI07C 54 “Saudi Arabia intercepts two missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthis,” Reuters, March 29, 2020, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-riyadh-rockets-coalition/saudi-arabia-intercepts-twomissiles-fired-by-yemens-houthis-idUSKBN21G00D 55 Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, Al-Bayda Governorate: Too Strategic to be forgotten, 4 June 2020. Available at: https://sanaacenter.org/publications/analysis/10137 56 Saudi Press Agency, 22 June 2020. Available at: https://www.spa.gov.sa/viewstory.php?lang=ar&newsid=2100861 57 https://www.arabnews.com/node/1694806/middle-east 58 Reuters, Yemen separatists seize remote Socotra island from Saudi-backed government, 21 June 2020. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-separatists/yemen-separatistsseize-remote-socotra-island-from-saudi-backed-government-idUSKBN23S0DU 59 See: https://osesgy.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/secco_briefing_16_jan_2020_-_as_deliveredeng_0.pdf,: 17