<span style="color: #222222;">In Yemen, the rebel Houthi group has agreed to withdraw forces from three key ports in a move to pave the way for negotiations to end the country's four-year war.  United Nations has said in a statement that the group will redeploy its fighters from the ports of Hodeidah, Saleef and Ras Isa over four days, starting today. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The UN  Mission's Redeployment Coordination Committee which brokered a peace deal in Sweden last December said the troop redeployment was "a first practical step on the ground" under the pact. The deal is being viewed as a major breakthrough in peace efforts to end the war.  The UN mission will monitor the redeployment, the statement said.   </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Meanwhile, Houthi rebels have confirmed that they are beginning withdrawal from the lifeline port of Hodeida. The head of the rebels' Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammed al-Huthi, said fighters would start pulling back at 10 am (0700 GMT).</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Hodeida is the main entry point for the bulk of Yemen's imports and humanitarian aid, providing a lifeline to millions of civilians.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The conflict in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country and home to an estimated 28 million people, began with the 2014 takeover of the capital, Sanaa, by Houthi rebels, who toppled the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Concerned by the rise of the Houthis, believed to be backed by Iran, the Saudi-UAE-led military coalition launched an intervention in 2015 in the form of a massive air campaign aimed at reinstalling Hadi's government. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The subsequent fighting and economic collapse pushed millions of people to the brink of starvation.</span><br />''