Basic services in southern Yemeni city ground to halt: UN relief wing

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that many basic services in Taiz, a city in southern Yemen, have ground to a halt, including the closure of several hospitals there due to a lack of fuel, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here Tuesday.

"The (Yemeni) health ministry reports that several hospitals have closed because of a lack of fuel, and access to other health facilities has been limited by heavy fighting," Dujarric said at a daily news briefing.

Taiz, the capital of Taiz Governorate, is a city in the Yemeni Highlands near the famous Mocha port on the Red Sea.

"Humanitarian organizations are struggling to provide lifesaving assistance due to lack of access and high levels of insecurity," he said. "Ten civilians are reported to have been killed and more than 100 injured in the last few days alone."

Throughout Yemen, based on data collected from health facilities, more than 1,870 people were killed, half of whom are believed to be civilians, and about 7,580 people injured between March 19 and May 18, he said. "Figures are likely to be much higher given the recent escalation of conflict."

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 created 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.

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