Fierce fighting rages in southern Yemen as humanitarian crisis grows

Hundreds of Shiite Houthi gunmen with support of army units were battling tribal militia loyal to Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi on Wednesday in the country's southern provinces, leaving dozens of people killed and wounded on both sides, according to military sources.

Fierce battles started on Wednesday morning in the southern port city of Aden, where the pro-Hadi militiamen were covered by the Saudi-led airstrikes. The two sides have been battling to take over the control of the city since late March.

"There were fierce fighting between Houthi-led forces and Hadi's tribal militia on the road leading to the Aden's International Airport. About 13 Houthis and eight tribal gunmen were killed during Wednesday's fighting," a military official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The military source said that street battles also took place in the Cirater and Mu'alla districts in Aden where the main port of the city, naval bases, government institutions, public markets and Hadi's presidential palace are located.

The Saudi-led coalition forces launched Wednesday more than six rounds of airstrikes against underground tunnels and military sites used by the Houthis near Aden's airport, a government official said.

He added that the airstrikes also targeted ammunition depots, sniper positions and vehicles transporting heavy machine guns around Aden's main gates, and killed a number of Houthi militants.

In al-Dhalea province, located about 125 km away from Aden city, violent fighting continued and mortar shells landed on three houses, causing heavy material loses and casualties among civilians, according to local residents.

A tribal leader in neighboring southern province of Abyan told Xinhua by phone that an al-Qaida suicide bomber drove his explosives-borne car toward a school, where dozens of Houthi gunmen are gathering, killing many people. He did not expose the death toll.

In the southern province of Taiz, about 24 people including civilians and army soldiers have been killed in violent street battles between the 35th Armored Brigade allied with Hadi and other pro-Houthi forces on Wednesday, according to an official at the Taiz Medical Center.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement on Wednesday that it has been denied access to the town of Marib in central Yemen, where a large number of people are in urgent need of medical assistance.

"We very much regret the lack of access to Marib, where hospitals face shortages of medical equipment. The wounded, including civilians and combatants, cannot get the lifesaving treatment they need," said the head of the ICRC delegation in Sanaa, Cedric Schweizer.

"We repeat our call for an immediate 24-hour humanitarian pause in hostilities. We ask all parties to allow and facilitate timely access to all affected areas around the country so we can deliver much-needed medical assistance," he stressed. "The humanitarian situation is getting worse by the hours.

The security situation in Yemen has sharply deteriorated since early March when conflicts erupted in several provinces in the country's southern regions.

A coalition led by Saudi Arabia started late last month air strikes on Houthi targets in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and other cities, saying the multinational action is to protect Hadi's legitimacy and force the Houthis to retreat from cities they have seized since September 2014.

GROWING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

Also on Wednesday, the UN aid agencies said nearly 11 million people in Yemen are facing severe food insecurity due to the current fighting in the country.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) also said that nearly 10.6 million Yemenis are now severely food insecure, of whom, 4.8 million are facing "emergency" conditions, suffering from severe lack of food access, very high and increasing malnutrition, and irreversible destruction of livelihoods, Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs claimed that "the ongoing conflict has significantly exacerbated the humanitarian needs for millions of people," according to Dujarric.

"The suspension of commercial flights to Yemen continues to limit access for international humanitarian staff in and out of the country," the spokesman said. "Operations at sea ports are also restricted. Armed clashes in southern Yemen have inhibited the delivery of supplies to areas with the greatest need."

Despite the challenges, a second aircraft loaded with lifesaving supplies from the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) arrived at Sana'a International Airport in the national capital of Yemen Tuesday, bringing nearly 76 metric tonnes of antibiotics, bandages and syringes, IV sets and other materials.

UNICEF warned the food and fuel crisis is intensifying rapidly, as supply ships carrying wheat and fuel were recently refused entry at Hodeidah port on the western coast of Yemen.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 730 people have been killed and nearly 2,760 have been injured in the country so far.

The UN Refugees Agency (UNHCR) reported that 1,260 people fleeing conflict have arrived in Djibouti and Somalia over the past two weeks. It is making contingency plans to receive an additional 30,000 refugees in Djibouti and 100,000 in Somalia over the next six months.

The security situation in Yemen has sharply deteriorated since early March when conflicts erupted in several provinces in the country's southern regions. Endit