Yemen: Over 121,000 Yemenis flee Saudi-led military operation

Yemen: Over 121,000 Yemenis have reportedly fled the port city Hudaydah according to the United Nation’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ (OCHA) latest report.

More than 17,350 households and over 121,000 people have fled the ongoing military operation region led by Saudi, Middle East Monitor.

Nearly 80,000 displaced people in 10000 households have been provided with “food, emergency kits, and other life-saving support,” the report noted.

Though a brief pause provided some relief after UN envoy to Yemen held negotiations talks with Iranian-aligned Houthis over control of Hudaydah port but air strikes continued from June 4 on the Hudaydah-Sanaa road and Hudaydah airport Al Jazeera reported.

The Saudi led coalition accuses Houthis of using the Hudaydah port to smuggle weapons from Iran. The conflict reportedly escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia launched a massive air campaign in Yemen which killed more than 15,000 Yemenis according to UN.

Though there has been no evidence in the Saudi’s claims of Houthis smuggling weapons via port, the war continues, killing thousands of Yemenis.

Hudaydah is Yemen’s most strategic port which essentially serves 80 per cent of aid for Yemenis in addition to its positioning as a vital maritime shipping port.