Yemen casualties rising by around 100 per day amid escalating conflict: WHO

Casualties from the latest escalation in Yemen are continuing to rise at a rate of roughly 100 per day, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

A WHO report issued Sunday said Yemen’s Health Emergency Operations Center, or HEOC, recorded 809 new casualties between Sept. 19 and 26, including 645 injuries and 164 deaths.

The new figures brought the cumulative total since Aug. 6 to 4,481 casualties, including 838 deaths.

The WHO said Lahj remains the heaviest front in terms of casualties.

Al-Madharibah wa Ras Al-Arah and the Bab el-Mandeb coast accounted for the largest daily casualty burden on both days for which detailed field reports were available, it said.

The area recorded 47 casualties on Sept. 21, including 18 deaths, and 34 casualties on Sept. 26.

The next highest casualty burdens were reported in Marib, particularly Al-Jubah and Sirwah, followed by Taiz, including At-Turbah, Maqbanah, Al-Ma’afer and Al-Mudhaffar.

Yemen has been mired in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa and several provinces in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

Fighting intensified in September, with the Houthis taking control of several key areas in Al-Hudaydah and Taiz provinces, including the strategic city of Mokha, and reaching Mayyun Island overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. m