Renewed fighting in Yemen displaces more than 250,000 people

More than 250,000 people have fled their homes in Yemen because of renewed fighting, the United Nations said, LRT reported. The figure covers the period from August 1 to October 17.

Matthew Saltmarsh, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency UNHCR, said at a news conference on Tuesday that the agency was deeply concerned about the worsening situation for internally displaced people. The most people have been forced from their homes in Taiz governorate, which has also taken in the largest number of displaced people from other regions, he said.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the conflict-hit city of Taiz without delay. A blockade by Iran-backed Houthi fighters of the only supply route to the city, Yemen’s third-largest, poses a serious threat to civilians, he said.

Tarik Jašarević, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization, said intensifying fighting, mass displacement and more frequent outbreaks were further straining an already overburdened health system. Taiz was particularly at risk because hospitals lacked essential supplies to treat patients. Cholera cases had also risen sharply in displacement camps, he said.

The conflict between the Iran-backed Houthis and Yemen’s government intensified again after the US-Israeli war with Iran began in late February. A Saudi-led military coalition supports the Yemeni government in its fight against the Houthis.