Influx of wounded as fighting intensifies
AS CONFLICT intensifies on several front lines across Yemen, an influx of people with war-related injuries are treated at facilities run by international medical organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Hodeidah, Hajjah, Aden, Saada and Taiz.
In Hodeidah, a major offensive was launched on November 1 by forces loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, backed by the Saudi and Emirati-Led Coalition (Selc) against Ansar Allah troops.
Heavy ground fighting and aerial bombardments are threatening the lives of thousands of civilians.
Between November 1 and 6, MSF teams in Hodeidah treated 24 warwounded civilians at Al Salakhana hospital, including five women and nine children. Of these, 17 had blast injuries and one had a gunshot wound.
In the same period, another 50 war wounded were treated at MSF’s surgical field hospital in Mocha, 180km south of Hodeidah, mostly injured by blasts and gunshots. They included three women and eight children.
This increase follows an intensification of ground fighting and aerial bombardments in Hodeidah since last Thursday.
“A stronger offensive by the Saudi and Emirati-Led Coalition-backed forces was launched with a deployment of troops on the ground. They have moved quickly around the city,” said Frederic Bertrand, MSF head of mission in Yemen.
“This raises fears of a siege which could affect the tens of thousands of people still living inside Hodeidah. Every day we hear the sound of heavy airstrikes and shooting in the city,” said Bertrand.
“On Monday afternoon, ground fighting occurred near Al Salakhana hospital and the MSF house. Our teams had to stay in the hospital for safety.”
Movements of civilians leaving Hodeidah were reported last weekend but it is difficult to assess how many have already left the city.
“Other civilians are reportedly trapped in the city because of the ground fighting and airstrikes.”
A campaign of massive airstrikes by the Selc is ongoing across several areas of the country. On the night of November 5 alone, MSF teams received 16 war-wounded in Abs and 18 in Hajjah following intensified fighting on nearby front lines.
Daily airstrikes are also ongoing in the Haydan district of Saada – the most heavily bombed region since the conflict escalated in March 2015.
MSF works in Haydan Hospital hit by a Selc air strike three years ago.
MSF teams are also seeing increasing numbers of war-wounded patients from Hodeidah and Taiz at MSF’s trauma hospital in Aden.
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