UN says 233,000 killed in Yemen war in last 6 years

A woman sits in front of a wall with the paintings of silhouettes holding rifles in Sana’a, Yemen on March 15, 2017 [Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu Agency]

The conflict in Yemen has claimed 233,000 lives over the last six years, Anadolu reported the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) saying yesterday.

In a report about the situation in the war-torn country, the UNOCHA said: “This large number is unfortunate and unacceptable.”

Deaths in Yemen Conflict – Cartoon [Sarwar Ahmed/MiddleEastMonitor]

At the same time, it stressed that these people have lost their lives since the start of the war in Yemen either directly due to the conflict or for reasons related to it.

Yemen has reached a critical point and there is an urgent need for a ceasefire now, the UNOCHA said.

Since 2014, Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos, when the Houthis overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis, including civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, which has led to the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, as millions face the risk of starvation.

READ: UN chief warns Yemen in imminent danger of famine

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