Key facts
- Displacement camps and health centers have been attacked amid increased violence in Yemen.
- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights documented three attacks on internally displaced people's sites in August and September, causing dozens of casualties and killing five children.
- The UN human rights office documented 32 civilian deaths, including 15 children and 3 women, since August.
- A medic and an ambulance driver were killed in Lahj on September 18.
- The Houthis deny allegations from the UN human rights office, accusing it of ignoring Saudi bombardment.
- Saudi officials state their forces do not target civilians in Yemen.
Displacement camps and health centers have been attacked amid surging violence in Yemen between Saudi-backed government forces and Iran-backed Houthis, the United Nations reported. The conflict has led to a growing civilian death toll, including children.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk stated that his office documented three attacks by Ansar Allah, the formal name for the Houthi movement, on sites for internally displaced people in August and September. These attacks in the Marib region resulted in dozens of casualties and killed five children. Overall, Turk's office has documented the killing of 32 civilians, including 15 children and 3 women, since August in fighting, including drone and missile strikes. These were among 125 people killed or wounded in the latest flareup, a figure the office described as likely an undercount.
The World Health Organization reported that some health facilities were directly attacked, and an ambulance driver and a medic were killed in Lahj on September 18. Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam denied the UN human rights office's allegations, accusing it of ignoring Saudi bombardment that he claimed targeted public facilities.
Saudi officials have stated that their forces do not target civilians in Yemen. Aid groups are increasing their response in Yemen, where approximately half the population faces acute food insecurity. The World Health Organization has stepped up the distribution of medical supplies and is deploying emergency teams.