More than 540 dead in Yemen violence since 19 March: WHO
Fighting in Yemen over the past few weeks has killed more than 540 people and wounded 1,700 as the country sinks deeper into a multi-sided conflict, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.
"More than 540 people have been killed and some 1,700 others wounded by the violence in Yemen since 19 March," WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told journalists, specifying that the toll was up to 6 April.
UNICEF meanwhile said at least 74 children have been confirmed killed and 44 wounded since 26 March, but added that it believed the toll to be far higher. More than 100,000 people have been displaced by the violence, UNICEF said.
"Children are paying an intolerable price for this conflict," UNICEF Yemen Representative Julien Harneis said in a statement.
"They are being killed, maimed and forced to flee their homes, their health threatened and their education interrupted. These children should be immediately afforded special respect and protection by all parties to the conflict, in line with international humanitarian law."
A UNICEF spokesperson said an estimated one million children have been unable to attend school.
The spokesperson, Christophe Boulierac, explained that the death toll for children included those killed by direct combat and those from indirect causes, with fighting affecting health services, vaccinations and access to drinking water.
Fierce clashes raged on Monday between rebels and loyalists in southern Yemen as the Red Cross faced delays to urgently needed aid deliveries.
The Red Cross warned on Tuesday of a "catastrophic" humanitarian situation in Yemen's main southern city Aden, as rebels battle forces loyal to the president.
"The humanitarian situation in Yemen is very difficult... (with) naval, air, and ground routes cut off," said the spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Yemen, Marie Claire Feghali.
She singled out Aden, where she described the situation as "catastrophic to say the least."
"The war in Aden is on every street, in every corner... Many are unable to escape," she said.
At least 18 people were killed in overnight fighting in the city, medical and security sources said. Another 53 were killed over the previous 24 hours.
Anees Dayan, a nurse working with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in an emmergency surgical unit in Aden said the "situation has never been worse".
"Within two weeks we have received many mass-casualties. This huge number of patients was a shock for us, but we were able to control the situation and to act with responsibility and manage things. I was very sad as we were receiving people from the neighbourhood of our hospital and others from my neighbourhood, as well as people I know personally. We were receiving all those casualties and at the same time thinking of our families. Things had changed so suddenly and it was very difficult for us."
The Red Cross has appealed for an immediate truce to facilitate aid deliveries.
It has called for land, air and sea routes to be opened to allow delivery of 48 tonnes of medical supplies it has ready to treat up to 3,000 wounded.
The Red Cross has been trying to fly emergency supplies into Sanaa but the plane is still stuck on the tarmac.
It is also trying to deploy a team of surgeons to Aden, but says it is still waiting for authorisations from the opposing sides.
"The priority for the Red Cross right now is for hospitals to continue to operate and to save the lives of as many people as possible," Feghali said.
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