WHO warns escalating conflict in Yemen takes 'devastating toll'

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned of a "devastating toll" in Yemen amid an escalating conflict.

"The escalating conflict in Yemen is taking a devastating toll. Nearly 1000 people have been killed, more than 4200 injured and almost 198,000 displaced since the latest escalation, amid outbreaks of cholera and measles," Tedros said.

WHO's immediate funding requirement more than tripled from $9 million to $31 million due to growing needs, he said on US social media company X.

"We urgently call on donors to step up. Lives depend on humanitarian and health aid," Tedros added.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.

Clashes between government forces and the Houthis resumed in July, marking the most intense fighting since a period of relative calm following a UN-brokered truce that began in April 2022.

Fighting intensified in September, when the Houthis seized key areas in Al-Hudaydah and Taiz provinces, including the strategic city of Mokha and Mayyun Island overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.