The United Nations announced Wednesday that the number of people displaced by escalating violence in Yemen has risen to more than 281,000. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said more than 281,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since the beginning of August.
The deterioration comes amid renewed fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthi group, which resumed in July after about four years of relative calm.
The UN office reported that delivering humanitarian aid has become more difficult over the past three weeks. Damage to a main road linking Taiz with the southern governorates has forced aid convoys onto narrow mountain routes, while health services have come under attack and pressure on them has increased.
The UN office said three-quarters of the displaced are living in sites lacking shelter, clean water and sanitation services, while more than 230,000 people need emergency support in water and sanitation.
The United Nations Population Fund warned of the risks of sexual violence, human trafficking and forced marriage, especially in crowded displacement sites.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs renewed its call on all parties to protect civilians, including health workers, and civilian facilities such as hospitals and ambulances. It said: "All parties must respect international humanitarian law and allow safe, sustained and unimpeded access for humanitarian aid so that assistance can reach those in need."
Even before the latest fighting erupted, Yemen was already suffering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
