1,850 killed, over 500,000 displaced in Yemen: UN
21 May 2015 4:48 AM IST
The United Nations said on Tuesday that some 1,850 people had been killed and more than 500,000 displaced as a result of the conflict raging in Yemen since late March.
As of May 15, 1,849 people had been killed and 7,394 had been injured, the UN humanitarian agency said citing numbers from Yemen health facilities. The UN has repeatedly stressed that many of those injured and killed do not pass through health facilities, meaning the actual toll could be higher.
The announcement came as witnesses reported that Saudi-led warplanes hit Yemeni rebels and their allies in Sanaa, in the first strikes on the rebel-held capital since the end of a five-day humanitarian truce on Sunday. The Saudi-led coalition has waged an air war on the rebels since late March in an effort to restore the authority of exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, who is now based in Riyadh.
“The humanitarian pause in Yemen was not long enough to reach all those in need of food,” Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman for the UN World Food Programme, told reporters.
Saudi-led planes hit Sanaa for first time since truce
Saudi-led warplanes hit Yemeni rebels and their allies in Sanaa on Tuesday, in the first strikes on the rebel-held capital since the end of a five-day humanitarian truce, witnesses said.
The Saudi-led coalition resumed its bombing campaign early on Monday with raids on second city Aden, accusing the rebels of violating the temporary ceasefire which expired the previous night.
Tuesday’s raids in the capital hit the presidential palace complex and several <g data-gr-id="37">bases</g> of troops loyal to ousted strongman Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is allied with the Shiite rebels.Witnesses said the targets included the Republican Guard missile brigade base of <g data-gr-id="66">Fajj</g> AttaAttan, in south Sanaa, where previous strikes on April 20 killed 38 civilians.
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