2nd LD Writethru: UN chief "gravely concerned" at fighting in Yemen

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday voiced his grave concern at the ongoing ground fighting and aerial bombardment in Yemen, which have left more than 1,200 people dead over the past six weeks.

"The secretary-general is gravely concerned about the continued ground fighting and aerial bombardment in Yemen and its impact on innocent civilians," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman. "More than 1,200 people have been killed and 300,000 have fled their homes in the past six weeks."

"There are credible reports of families in Aden trapped by the bombardment and snipers targeting civilians in the street," the statement said. "Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, humanitarian warehouses and UN compounds, are unacceptable and in violation of international humanitarian law."

Saudi-led air strikes hit five Yemeni provinces as fighting raged in the southern city of Aden on Wednesday. Houthi rebels' tanks and snipers killed at least 12 civilians overnight in Aden as they advanced toward the center of the city, reports said, adding that a Saudi-led coalition airdropped arms to anti-Houthi fighters in the city of Taiz.

The Houthis took the capital Sanaa in September 2014, demanding a more inclusive government, and swept south. Arab coalition air strikes have, over the last month, backed local fighters in Aden and nationwide battling Shi'ite Houthis.

"The violence has severely blocked shipments of food, fuel and healthcare," the statement said. "All airports are closed to civilian traffic -- some have come under direct attack -- and naval shipments are being delayed."

"Yemen's health, water and sanitation systems and telecommunications services are on the brink of collapse," it said, adding that "Humanitarian operations will end within days unless fuel supplies are restored."

"The secretary-general urges all parties engaged in military operations to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure," it said. "Attacks on hospitals and health facilities must end immediately."

"The secretary-general calls on all parties to ensure that humanitarian agencies and their partners have safe and reliable access to bring aid workers and supplies into Yemen and to deliver aid to millions of people in need," the statement said.

The UN chief repeated his call for an immediate ceasefire and urged the immediate resumption of fuel imports to avoid making the already catastrophic humanitarian situation in Yemen even worse, it noted.

Yemen has mired in political gridlock since 2011 when mass protests forced former President Ali Abdullash Saleh to step down.

The three-year reconciliation talks failed to resolve the crisis but create huge power vacuum that could benefit the powerful al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and other extremist groups.

Yemen is the base of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), a powerful offshoot of the jihadist militant group that has carried out similar suicide attacks on Houthi supporters.

Meanwhile, the terrorist Islamic State (IS), also known as ISIL or ISIS, is also gaining ground in the country. Endite