Over 6,000 civilian casualties reported in Yemen since escalation of conflict

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) said Tuesday that since the escalation of the conflict on March 26 in Yemen, it has recorded at least 6,221 civilian casualties, including at least 1,950 civilians killed and 4,271 wounded, a UN spokesperson told reporters here.

Between July 31 and Aug. 14, at least 119 civilians were killed or injured in Yemen, UN associate spokesperson Vannina Maestracci said at a daily news briefing here.

Earlier this month, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN special envoy for Yemen, met with officials in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, as part of the ongoing efforts to reach a political solution to the Yemeni conflict that has caused almost 100,000 people to flee the Middle East country.

The UN special envoy met with Nabil Elaraby, secretary-general of the Arab League and exchanged views on the situation in Yemen and the peace process.

Refugee and displaced families are among the most vulnerable in Yemen and the UN refugee agency calls on all parties to the Yemeni conflict to respect and protect these civilians' lives and rights. UNHCR continues to call for unfettered access and movements of humanitarian workers and its supplies so that vital assistance can reach those in need.

Currently there are more than 1 million internally displaced people in Yemen, approximately 250,000 refugees and an estimated over 21 million people in need throughout the country.

More than 46,000 people, including Yemenis and refugees from third countries, have fled Yemen, primarily for Djibouti and Somalia, since the conflict commenced in March. At the same time, and since the beginning of the year, some 35,000 individuals have arrived in Yemen by boat from across the Gulf of Aden, reports said. Endite