UN says over 25,000 people have fled Yemen fighting at Hodeida and more expected

The UN spokesman said Monday that tens of thousands of residents have fled the fighting along Yemen’s western coastline where Yemeni fighters backed by a Saudi-led coalition are engaged in fierce battles with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

The UN spokesman said Monday that tens of thousands of residents have fled the fighting along Yemen’s western coastline where Yemeni fighters backed by a Saudi-led coalition are engaged in fierce battles with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

StephaneDujarric, the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, told reporters that about 5,200 families, or around 26,000 people, have fled the fighting and sought safety within their own districts or in other areas in Hodeida governorate.

“The number is expected to increase as hostilities continue,” he said.

The UN Security Council again reiterated its call for the rebel-held ports of Hodeida and Salif “to be kept open and operating safely” in a press statement issued after closed door briefings by UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths and UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock.