UN relief wing voices concern over casualties, displacement in Yemen

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the escalation of the conflict in Yemen's western coast has resulted in significant civilian casualties and large scale displacement, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here Friday.

"There are scores of dead bodies in the street risking the spread of disease in Mukha town," Dujarric said at a daily news briefing.

Some 44,000 people have been recorded fleeing the conflict throughout Taizz governorate, he said.

"Humanitarians have scaled up the response in Taizz, Al Hudaydah, Lahj and Aden governorates to provide assistance to the displaced, including shelter, food and other items. Mobile health teams have been deployed to supply medicines and treat trauma cases," the spokesman said.

"We are gravely concerned about the protection concerns that persist due to the military offensive by both land and air," he said. "We call on all parties to provide unhindered humanitarian access in the conflict areas to be able to respond to civilians fleeing the fighting."

Warplanes of the Arab coalition played an important role in the all-out military campaign to recapture and secure Yemen's western coast and the strategic Bab Al Mandab strait.

Yemen has been suffering from a civil war for about two years. The civil war began after the Houthi militants with support from forces loyal to the former president ousted by the UN-backed transitional government.

The legitimate government now controls the south and some eastern parts, while the Houthi-Saleh alliance controls the other parts, including the capital Sanaa.

The UN has brokered rounds of peace talks between the warring factions, but failed to reach any tangible results. Endit