Yemen risks full-scale war, UN rights chief warns

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned Monday that escalating hostilities and a rising civilian toll in Yemen risk pushing the country back into full-scale conflict.

Turk urged all parties to de-escalate, spare civilians and immediately halt actions that could return Yemen to full-scale war. The warning came as renewed fighting between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government has undermined a 2022 truce.

The UN rights office said at least seven civilians had been killed and 10 wounded in Houthi attacks on government-controlled areas since August 6. It said two civilians were reported injured in Houthi-held areas in late July.

A military source said Houthi rebels launched their deadliest attacks in years earlier this month, killing 58 government troops, mainly in the oil-rich Marib province. Two civilians were killed the same day in Houthi shelling on residential areas and displacement camps in Marib.

The UN rights office said Houthi missile and drone attacks on the Red Sea port of Mokha on August 9 killed three port workers and injured four others. It said another attack by the group on a cargo ship in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on August 11 reportedly killed four crew members — three Pakistanis and one Indonesian — and injured several others.

The rights office said civilian sites hit in the attacks included fuel storage facilities and a residential compound at the Saudi Field Hospital in Mokha.

“Attacks on civilian infrastructure risk further deepening civilian suffering at a time when at least 18 million Yemenis are already food insecure,” Turk said. “These attacks must end immediately.”