January will ‘almost certainly’ shatter records for civilian casualties in Yemen

January will ‘almost certainly’ shatter records for civilian casualties in Yemen
Yemen has been devasted by five years of conflict.UN OCHA/Giles Clarke

Yemen has been devasted by five years of conflict.

Violence in Yemen continues to escalate, raising casualties and spilling across the war-torn country’s borders, the Special Envoy for the country and the Humanitarian Coordinator warned on Tuesday.
In a joint statement, Hans Grundberg and David Gressley said they were alarmed by the situation and confirmed that January will “almost certainly” be a record-shattering month for civilian casualties in Yemen.

Mr. Grundberg and Mr. Gressley also reiterate the UN Secretary-General’s condemnation of air strikes carried out by the Saudi-led Coalition on 21 January against a prison facility in Sa’dah, where migrants were also held.

The airstrikes reportedly killed 91 detainees and injured 226, becoming the worst civilian-casualty incident in Yemen in three years.

been in contact with all sides to explore options to achieve de-escalation. It has also begun an inclusive dialogue to reach a political settlement that ends the conflict.

“We urge all parties to engage with these efforts immediately and without preconditions”, Mr. Grundberg and Mr. Gressleyconclude, asking everyone to prioritize the needs and interests of the Yemeni people.

A classroom in Sa’ada, Yemen, was badly damaged in the recent conflict in April 2016.