150,000 people displaced, health system collapsing, Aden a “ruined city”
What’s happening in Yemen
4.21.2015 edition
By the Reported.ly Team
We are creating a daily rundown of events in Yemen as Saudi Arabian-led airstrikes against Houthis that began March 26 continue. The Houthi militia has been fighting the Yemeni government for nearly a decade, and in recent months has made enormous gains across the country, including capturing the capital, Sana’a.
For an explanation of what happened in the first few days of the military action, read our synopsis.
Update 9 a.m. PT (4 p.m. GMT)
Massive influx of refugees expected in Somalia, Djibouti
Aid organizations are gearing up for the influx of up to 130,000 refugees expected in Somalia and Djibouti by the UNHCR in the coming months. A total of 250,000 East African refugees, mostly Somalis, live in Yemen.
WHO: Imminent collapse of health system
Summarizing reports of dire conditions affecting Yemen’s infrastructure, the World Health Organization noted the tangible impact of the conflict on infant health, and issued an outright warning of imminent collapse of the health system:
“National disease surveillance reports show a doubling in the number of cases of bloody diarrhoea in children below the age of 5, as well as an increase in the number of cases of measles and suspected malaria.”
The provision of humanitarian and medical aid has been severely hampered by the conflict, especially in regions where clashes are taking place on top of Saudi-led airstrikes.
City Reports
Note: Citizen reports of airstrikes and the resulting impact on their lives have been tough for us to confirm. Use your best judgement.
Sana’a
The capital is still reeling from the tremendous blast on the Faj Attan hill yesterday, as many are recounting the impact on themselves and their loved ones. Reports of casualties continue to be sketchy, with at least 25 civilians killed, and 400 injured quoted by the Houthi-ran state news agency. Unconfirmed graphic imagery of civilian casualties continued to surface on Twitter today.
Aden
A New York Times report provides a stark summary of conditions in Yemen’s embattled second-biggest city.
Weeks of fighting between armed groups have left nearly 200 people dead and the city starved of water, fuel and electricity. Hospitals struggle to obtain anesthetic and dressings. Barefoot, nervous teenagers with matted hair and guns mind checkpoints on the treacherous roads. Gun battles sweep across the city while residents lie low and worry that there is worse suffering to come.
Aden’s plight is compounded by severe water shortages affecting hundreds of thousands and hospitals are running out of space and medicines.
Communications are also down in Aden, and reports of shelling of residential areas by the Houthis have been persistent in recent days.
Ibb
A bridge linking Ibb to Sana’a via Sumara was reportedly hit by an airstrike, killing up to 24 civilians. A graphic video and photos of the casualties circulated on Twitter.
The latest on evacuations
150,000 people have been displaced by the conflict, according to the International Organization for Migration. IOM suspended evacuation operations for a week, citing difficulties facing flights out of Sana’a. Fifty countries have appealed to the organization with evacuation requests for their nationals stranded in the country.
Kenya evacuated 52 of 500 citizens living in Yemen by air, saying it will bring everyone home. Also, 337 Bangladeshis evacuated by air arrived in Dhaka on Sunday.
CNN filed a report from Aden on stranded Yemeni-Americans:
U.S. warships to monitor Iranian arms shipments
The USS Theodore Roosevelt and the guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy were dispatched to the Gulf of Aden to monitor suspected breaches of the arms embargo on Houthis.
