Yemen fighting displaces 290,000, UN warns pregnant women face rising risk
Displacement and urgent needs
OCHA says at least 290,000 people have left their homes in Yemen since the war flared again in August. Its Friday report also describes a rapidly worsening situation for 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers.
The report says services have been disrupted as food and fuel prices rise quickly. Among the displaced are 6,100 pregnant women, with 600 due to give birth within two weeks.
Attacks and disputed claims
The conflict has intensified on several fronts and extended into Saudi Arabia. On Saturday, the Saudi-led coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone over the Riyadh region.
Saudi Arabia said on Friday that drones were downed near Mecca, Medina and Riyadh, and that a Houthi missile was fired toward the kingdom’s south. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied the group had sent drones into Saudi territory, calling the claims “egregious lies,” according to the report.
Civilian toll and Taiz conditions
The United Nations has verified 270 civilian casualties since August, including 68 deaths; half of those killed were children. Government-aligned Saba news agency reported that Houthi attacks in Taiz governorate killed one civilian and injured five, including a child.
Taiz has been contested throughout the civil war. After taking ground to the city’s south this month, including al-Turbah, the Houthis tightened their hold around Taiz, where humanitarian conditions have worsened.
Fighting across Yemen
Yemen’s internationally recognised government said missiles were fired at Aden International airport, which had reopened on Thursday after repairs following an earlier Houthi attack. Its cabinet condemned the strike and said it targeted citizens’ interests and sought to disrupt legitimate institutions.
The article reports fighting involving warplanes, drones, artillery and rocket launchers around command centres, troop concentrations and supply routes in Taiz, Marib, al-Jawf and al-Bayda. After several truces, fighting resumed following a government attack on Sanaa International airport that stopped a plane carrying a Houthi delegation from landing; the Houthis then launched an offensive on the coast, while the government announced its own operation to retake territory.
Key points
- OCHA says 290,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since fighting resumed in August.
- The displaced include 6,100 pregnant women, with 600 expected to give birth within two weeks.
- The UN has verified 270 civilian casualties since August, including 68 deaths.
- The Houthis denied Saudi claims that they launched drones toward Saudi territory.