Yemen’s mounting civilian toll: 284 casualties and nearly 330,000 displaced
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has reported a deadly toll from the latest escalation in Yemen, documenting 284 civilian casualties since the beginning of August: 70 people killed and 214 injured.
The figures reveal the devastating human cost for the most vulnerable. Children account for more than one-third of all casualties and half of those killed.
In a humanitarian situation report, the United Nations also recorded nearly 330,000 displaced people across the country. Taiz governorate hosts the largest number, approximately 140,000, representing more than 40 per cent of the total.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that humanitarian conditions in Taiz city continued to deteriorate as vital supply routes remained cut off and pressure on essential services increased.
According to OCHA, all roads connecting the city to areas controlled by the Yemeni government remain severed or closed because of fighting, obstructing the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid and commercial goods.
The United Nations renewed its call for the protection of civilians, including medical personnel, and health facilities. It also stressed the need to ensure safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access throughout Yemen.
Meanwhile, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has expanded its emergency water-trucking operations while also providing medical support. Over the past three weeks, the organisation has delivered 113,000 litres of drinking water daily, reaching more than 7,000 families. It has also supplied Al-Thawra Hospital with the medical materials needed to treat the wounded.
Waste collection remains severely disrupted by shortages of fuel and other resources, limiting the transport of rubbish to the main landfill. A fire in Taiz’s Al-Saïla area also sent thick smoke over residential neighbourhoods, raising health and environmental concerns.
