The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern on Monday over the growing number of civilians killed due to intensified hostilities in Yemen. The official called on all parties to reduce tensions to prevent the country from returning to open warfare.
Yemen has been experiencing a civil conflict for more than a decade. Last month the country entered a new phase of violence after the Houthi group, backed by Tehran, intensified its attacks against territories controlled by the Saudi-backed Government, breaking the ceasefire that has been in place since 2022.
According to the UN Human Rights Office, at least seven civilians died and ten were wounded in Houthi attacks against areas under government control since 6 August. On 9 August, Houthi missile and drone attacks against the port of Mokha in the Red Sea left three port workers dead and four wounded. An attack on 11 August against a cargo vessel in the Bab al-Mandab Strait caused the death of four crew members, three Pakistani and one Indonesian, plus several wounded.
The Human Rights Office noted that the attacks also affected civilian targets, including fuel depots and a residential complex of the Saudi field hospital in Mokha. The High Commissioner warned that these attacks on civilian infrastructure threaten to worsen the suffering of the population at a time when at least 18 million Yemenis face food insecurity.
