Fighting with Houthi rebels around Marib, the last government stronghold in war-torn northern Yemen, has left nearly 200 dead in the past 24 hours among forces on both sides.

Clashes have recently intensified on several fronts in the central provinces of Chabwa and Al-Bayda, as loyalist forces, backed by the Saudi air force, seek to push back, and in some cases dislodge, the rebels. , supported by Iran.

More than 125 members of the Houthis have been killed in air strikes by the Riyadh-led military coalition as well as in clashes with pro-government forces known as "the Giants," medical sources told AFP.

Loyalist military sources have confirmed this toll.

The Houthi rebels, for their part, very rarely communicate about the losses in their ranks.

The fighting also claimed the lives of 70 members of the "Giants", medical sources said.

Formed in 2015 from soldiers of the former Yemeni army and volunteers, the force of the "Giants" is commanded by a Salafist, Abdelrahmane Abou Zaraa.

Humanitarian disaster

Based in the coastal strip of southwest Yemen and supported by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the "Giants" had in the past played a leading role in pushing back the Houthis in the strategic coastal region of the United Arab Emirates. 'Where is.

The rebels launched an offensive in February 2020 to wrest Marib from loyalist forces and fighting has intensified around the oil-rich region in recent months.

The Houthis have gradually taken over a large part of the north of the country, with the exception of Marib, since a coup in 2014 with the capture of the capital Sana'a.

The conflict has ravaged this poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, plunging it into one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters.

According to the UN, the war killed 377,000 people, including around 227,000 deaths due to the indirect consequences of the conflict, such as lack of clean water, hunger and disease.

With AFP

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