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UN offers staggering death toll of 233,000 from Saudi-led war on Yemen

Tuesday, 01 December 2020 4:05 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 01 December 2020 4:05 PM ]

People inspect rubble at the site of a building destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes, which killed at least 60 people and wounded several dozen, according to officials, in Dhamar Province, southwestern Yemen, on September 1, 2019. (Photo by the Associated Press)

The United Nations (UN) has offered the new staggering death toll of 233,000 from the Saudi-led war on Yemen, stressing the importance of a ceasefire.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released the toll in a report on Tuesday, calling it "unfortunate and unacceptable."

The international body said those counted had lost their lives either directly due to the conflict or for war-related reasons.

The OCHA also raised the alarm about the humanitarian situation in Yemen, saying the country had reached a critical point and there was an urgent need for a ceasefire.

The conflict in Yemen has already claimed 233,000 lives.
This staggering number is unacceptable. #YemenCantWait pic.twitter.com/cZcDSnbZtj
— UN Humanitarian (@UNOCHA) November 30, 2020

According to the report, Yemen is currently facing the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, and more than 80% of its inhabitants are in need of humanitarian assistance and support.

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The OCHA also separately reacted to the killing on Monday of 14 women and children in the western Yemeni province of Hudaydah, and censured the the aggression as "unacceptable and unjustifiable."

The body said in a statement that the attack was "horrific and a gross violation of international humanitarian law, so the parties involved are required to take action to protect civilians."

Saudi Arabia and a number of its allies launched the war on Yemen in March 2015 to suppress an uprising that had toppled a Riyadh-friendly regime.

The Houthi Ansarullah movement, backed by armed forces, has been defending Yemen against the Saudi-led alliance.

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Large amounts of weapons, bombs and explosive belts have been seized in the province of Bayda.

The war has taken a heavy toll on Yemen's infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN says over 24 million Yemenis are in dire need of humanitarian aid, including 10 million suffering from extreme levels of hunger.

Children are among the most vulnerable victims of the Saudi war on Yemen, but the issue has barely drawn any international response.The UN children's agency warned in late June that the shortage of humanitarian assistance amid the coronavirus pandemic threatened to push more children in Yemen to the brink of starvation.

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