Nearly 3,000 casualties in Yemen in a week: WHO
Nearly 3,000 people were killed or wounded in just one week of intense fighting across Yemen’s various front lines. A World Health Organization (WHO) report said 504 people were killed and 2,379 wounded due to the fighting between September 6 and 12, bringing the total number of casualties to 2,883.
The WHO report further said that, as of Friday, 469 people were killed or wounded across various governorates of Yemen. A further 177 were killed or wounded the following day, and at least 77,789 people were displaced by last Friday. Taiz, Marib, Al Jawf, Lahij, Hodeidah, Abyan and Shabwah were the areas hit hardest by displacement and the conflict’s impact.
According to the report, Marib governorate saw the worst casualty toll. There, 469 people were killed or wounded in a single day on September 9. A further 177 were killed or wounded the following day, and 219 on Friday.
Marib alone accounted for around 49 percent of the week’s total casualties. Taiz and Yemen’s western coastal areas accounted for around 43 percent of the week’s casualties, the report said, further raising fears that the country’s humanitarian situation could worsen.
Amid the country’s long-running conflict, intensifying fighting in various areas has forced thousands of people to flee their homes in search of safety. Recent days have also brought reports of large numbers of people fleeing western Yemen.
The UN and humanitarian organisations have continued to warn that a further expansion of the war could deepen Yemen’s food, shelter and healthcare crisis.