Yemen: UN worries about resurgence of fighting in Hodeida
In a statement, the UN reported "civilian casualties" as well as homes and farms damaged by the fighting in the southern port region of Hodeidah.
According to the UN, more than a hundred families, or at least 700 people, have been displaced by the violence since mid-January.
AFP
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The UN expressed concern Thursday about an upsurge since mid-January in fighting in Yemen between Houthi rebels and government forces in the strategic region of Hodeida.
The UN says they endanger the lives of many civilians.
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In a statement, the UN reported "
civilian casualties
" as well as homes and farms damaged by the fighting in the southern port region of Hodeida (southwest Yemen), the region through which the essential for the country's food imports and humanitarian aid.
According to the UN, more than a hundred families, or at least 700 people, have been displaced by the violence since mid-January.
"
Indiscriminate attacks on residential areas are a violation of international humanitarian law and must stop,
" Auke Lootsma, UN humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, said in the statement.
According to him, "
eight civilian victims were reported in the week of January 20 (...) mostly women and children
".
The sound of explosions from this area was heard overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday by residents of the city, but loyalist military sources have reported a decline in the intensity of the fighting since Wednesday.
150 Houthi rebels dead in one week
Some
150 Houthi rebels and pro-government soldiers
had been killed in a week of fighting in this region, according to a report collected on January 18 by AFP from military and medical sources.
According to a pro-government military source, the fighting was sparked by attacks by the rebels, who hold Hodeidah and seek to extend their control further south where loyalist forces are positioned.
The clashes are the most violent since the entry into force of a truce negotiated by the UN in December 2018, according to residents.
The world's worst humanitarian crisis
The conflict in Yemen between the Iranian-backed Houthis and the Saudi-backed government since 2014, has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced.
It has plunged this poor country of the Arabian Peninsula into the worst humanitarian crisis in the world according to the UN, which recently expressed fears that some "
16 million people will suffer from hunger
" in 2021.
►
To read: Arab Spring: in Yemen, the peaceful movement has turned into a civil war
(
with AFP
)
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