Yemen risks return to ‘full-scale conflict,’ UN rights chief warns

Earlier this month, the Houthi rebels launched their deadliest attacks in years, killing 58 government troops, according to a military source.(AFP) — The U.N. human rights chief voiced alarm Monday at the rising civilian toll from escalating hostilities in Yemen, urging efforts to avoid plunging the country back into full-scale war.Yemen, which has been embroiled in more than a decade of civil conflict, last month became the latest country to be dragged into the Middle East war as the Iran-backed Houthis upended a 2022 truce with the Saudi-backed government and ramped up attacks on areas it controls.The latest violence has raised the prospect of a return to war in the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country.“I call on all parties to de-escalate tensions and spare the Yemeni people from further misery. The Yemeni people have already suffered way too much from the devastating legacy of years of conflict, displacement and humanitarian crisis,” U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said.“I urge all parties to halt immediately any actions that risk returning Yemen to full-scale conflict.”Earlier this month, the rebels launched their deadliest attacks in years, killing 58 government troops, according to a military source, mainly in the oil-rich Marib province.Two civilians were killed in Houthi shelling of residential areas and displacement camps in Marib that same day.The U.N. human rights office said at least seven civilians had been killed and 10 others wounded in Houthi attacks on government-controlled areas since Aug. 6, while two civilians were reported injured in Houthi-held areas in late July.Houthi missile and drone attacks on the Red Sea port of Mokha on Aug. 9 killed three port workers and injured four others, the office said.Another attack by the group on a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Aug. 11 reportedly killed four crew members — three Pakistanis and one Indonesian — and injured several others, it added.The rights office said several civilian sites also had been hit in the attacks, including 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,” Türk said.“These attacks must end immediately.”Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads