More than 40,000 civilians wounded or killed in Yemen

More than 40,000 Yemeni civilians, mostly women and children, have been wounded or killed in the ongoing war in the country, the country’s prime minister revealed yesterday.

During a speech at the World Humanitarian Summit being held in Istanbul, Ahmed Obeid Bin Daghr said that the war displaced more than 2,5 million Yemenis internally and thousands externally.

“Yemen is witnessing a humanitarian disaster due to the actions of the coup militias and their disastrous policies,” he said.

“They looted and destroyed the country’s institutions and depleted the foreign currency reserves,” he added, noting that this caused the collapse of the national economy.

“The Houthis violated freedom, arrested citizens violently, stopped newspapers and looted international humanitarian aid, causing a humanitarian crisis.” He noted that most hospitals have closed and other services have ceased.

He outlined that the country was suffering from an “acute shortage of food supplies, medicines, oil and the fear that diseases and epidemics may return.” This has led to more than 80 per cent of Yemenis being in need of humanitarian aid and left more than seven million facing food insecurity.

His government is keen to continue UN-sponsored talks to end the conflict and achieve unity, security, stability and set up a united governance system.