Fighting rages in Yemen as truce looms
A fierce fighting between Shiite rebels known as Houthis and forces loyal to the internationally recognized government escalated in Taiz, one of the worst-hit cities in Yemen's conflict. The government forces have pushed the Houthis out of several districts of the city, known for its cultural heritage. Doctors without Borders said on its official Twitter account that one of the victims of Thursday's shelling worked for the aid group. The officials and the residents spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to reporters.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that the Saudi-led coalition, that backs the government in its fight against the Houthi group, supported a ceasefire plan that the Houthis have agreed to.
But President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's administration rejected Kerry's move, complaining that it played into the hands of the Houthis and sidelined the government.
"We are working very closely with Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region that can influence [the parties to the conflict]," U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told a news conference in Geneva. "We have discovered a stronger and stronger view that this war must come to an end but we have to bring them back to negotiating table," he said, giving no timeline.
Yemen's 20-month-old war has left more than 7,000 people dead and nearly 37,000 wounded, the World Health Organization announced in its latest toll update. As of Oct. 25, "more than 7,070 people have been killed and over 36,818 injured, according to health facility-based data," the WHO said in a statement late Sunday. Another 21 million people are in need of urgent health services, said the U.N. health agency.
In addition to the fighting, international organizations have warned in recent weeks of a spread of disease and growing rates of malnutrition in the country, which was already the Arabian Peninsula's poorest even before the war erupted.
The WHO said in its statement released from the rebel-held capital Sanaa that 2.1 million people have been internally displaced by the conflict. More than half of all health facilities across the country have been shut or are partially functioning, it said. "There are critical shortages in medical doctors in more than 40 percent of all districts," it added. Attempts by the United Nations to convince the warring parties to commit to a cease-fire and resume peace talks have so far failed.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in September 2014, forcing the internationally recognized government to flee the country. A Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition has been conducting an extensive air campaign against the Houthis since March 2015 that has pushed the rebels out of southern Yemen. The U.N. says the conflict has left more than 19,000 people dead and displaced at least 3 million. Saudi Arabia leads a coalition of Muslim countries, backed by the U.S., the U.K. and France, in the war in neighboring Yemen. The campaign, which is a campaign to restore the government ousted by the Iran-allied militia, is part of a larger assertive effort to prevent weapons from reaching Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies, who have overrun much of Yemen.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday that the Saudi-led coalition, that backs the government in its fight against the Houthi group, supported a ceasefire plan that the Houthis have agreed to.
But President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's administration rejected Kerry's move, complaining that it played into the hands of the Houthis and sidelined the government.
"We are working very closely with Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region that can influence [the parties to the conflict]," U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told a news conference in Geneva. "We have discovered a stronger and stronger view that this war must come to an end but we have to bring them back to negotiating table," he said, giving no timeline.
Yemen's 20-month-old war has left more than 7,000 people dead and nearly 37,000 wounded, the World Health Organization announced in its latest toll update. As of Oct. 25, "more than 7,070 people have been killed and over 36,818 injured, according to health facility-based data," the WHO said in a statement late Sunday. Another 21 million people are in need of urgent health services, said the U.N. health agency.
In addition to the fighting, international organizations have warned in recent weeks of a spread of disease and growing rates of malnutrition in the country, which was already the Arabian Peninsula's poorest even before the war erupted.
The WHO said in its statement released from the rebel-held capital Sanaa that 2.1 million people have been internally displaced by the conflict. More than half of all health facilities across the country have been shut or are partially functioning, it said. "There are critical shortages in medical doctors in more than 40 percent of all districts," it added. Attempts by the United Nations to convince the warring parties to commit to a cease-fire and resume peace talks have so far failed.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in September 2014, forcing the internationally recognized government to flee the country. A Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition has been conducting an extensive air campaign against the Houthis since March 2015 that has pushed the rebels out of southern Yemen. The U.N. says the conflict has left more than 19,000 people dead and displaced at least 3 million. Saudi Arabia leads a coalition of Muslim countries, backed by the U.S., the U.K. and France, in the war in neighboring Yemen. The campaign, which is a campaign to restore the government ousted by the Iran-allied militia, is part of a larger assertive effort to prevent weapons from reaching Shiite Houthi rebels and their allies, who have overrun much of Yemen.
Last Update: November 18, 2016 22:52