SANAA, Yemen 

Yemen has agreed to the entry of four fuel vessels to the Houthi rebel-controlled seaport of al-Hudaydah, said an official statement Thursday.

The approval was made "based on a request by the UN Special Envoy, Martin Griffiths... to permit four fuel derivatives as a temporary exception to give a chance for a meeting between the government and Houthi representatives," said the statement by the government’s Economic Council of Yemen.

The meeting will review the violations made by the Houthis along with improving mechanisms to ensure the disbursement of the tax revenues of fuel vessels, it added.

The four vessels carry 92 tons of fuel, including benzene, diesel, and gas, with tax revenues for the vessels estimated at 1.68 billion Yemeni rials ($2.24 million).

Last month, the Houthi-run oil company accused the Arab Coalition of detaining 15 fuel vessels holding nearly 420,000 tons of fuel and fuel derivatives.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis as millions remain at risk of starvation.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara