Local Editor
Tens of thousands of Yemenis have been fleeing Hodeidah as fighting intensifies on front lines near the western province, Amnesty International said Thursday, warning that “the worst is yet to come” if the war reaches urban areas.
Militants backed by a Saudi-led coalition are attempting to advance toward Hodeidah port city, long a key target in the 3-year-old war.
The United Nations puts the number of displaced along Yemen’s western coast in recent months at some 100,000 people, most of them from Hodeidah, the second most populated province, the rights group said.
“The human impact of this fresh military offensive on Yemen’s western coastal areas is clear from the distressing stories shared by civilians displaced by the conflict,” Rawya Rageh, senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty International, said in a statement. “It is a glimpse of what potentially lies in store on a wider scale if the fighting encroaches on the densely populated port city of Hodeidah.”
Hodeidah handles the bulk of Yemen’s commercial imports and critically needed aid supplies.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
