More than 9,000 people have been killed or injured in Yemen as renewed military tension and fighting spread, and more than 276,000 have been displaced. The country’s health system is at risk of collapse because of the conflict.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned of severe shortages of medicine, fuel and water, particularly in Taiz province.
In a report published on Thursday, the agency said that up to October 25, 1,677 people had been killed and 7,395 injured in the recent military escalation in Yemen, bringing total casualties to 9,072. There were 559 new casualties in just six days.
During the period under review, an average of 93 people were killed or injured each day, down from a daily average of 168 in the previous report. Although the daily average has fallen by nearly half, people are still being killed and injured in several provinces.
According to WHO, Marib recorded the most deaths among the provinces covered by the report, with 45 killed out of 143 casualties. It was followed by Taiz, where 34 of 237 casualties were deaths. In Lahj province, 21 of 158 casualties died.
As of October 24, the number of people displaced across Yemen had reached 276,301, including more than 46,000 families. About 46 percent of the displaced have taken shelter in Taiz province.
Restrictions on the routes from Aden to Taiz and the western coastal areas are delaying relief and essential supplies. Alongside the severe shortages of medicine, fuel and water, waste management has been disrupted, raising the risk of infectious diseases spreading.
The health situation has also become alarming. Only six of the 31 hospitals in Marib province are still operating, making it difficult to treat people wounded in the conflict and to provide health care to the wider population.
The current situation in Yemen began in late June, when fresh clashes broke out between government forces and fighters of the Houthi movement. Military tension and violence have continued in various parts of the country since then.
WHO warned that if the conflict continues, the health system could deteriorate further. Shortages of medical supplies, fuel and clean water, along with the growing number of displaced people, will make life even harder for ordinary Yemenis, it said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report