UN Chief: Situation in Yemen, worrying

The UN secretary-general has voiced concern about the humanitarian situation in Yemen, where fighting continues between Houthis fighters and the Yemeni army.

Ban Ki-moon made the comment in a Monday phone conversation with the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, his Spokesperson, Martin Nesirky, told reporters in New York.

The secretary-general also expressed concern about the presence of al-Qaeda in Yemen, while announcing his support for the British-led conference that is scheduled to be held in London later this month to discuss the issue.

“[Ban was] appreciative of the initiative of Prime Minister Brown and welcomed the focus of the conference on counter-terrorism,” Nesirky said.

“He sought assurance that the President of Yemen is involved in the preparation of the conference,” he added.

The UN secretary-general’s comments came as the Yemeni army continued its attack on the Houthis in northern Yemen, while also launching several operations against al-Qaeda militants in the south.

The conflict in northern Yemen began in 2004 between Sana’a and Houthi fighters. Relative peace had returned to the region until the Yemeni army launched a major offensive, dubbed Operation Scorched Earth, against Sa’ada Province five months ago.

The government claims that the fighters, who are named after their leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, seek to restore the Shia imamate system, which was overthrown in a 1962 military coup.

The Houthis, however, say they are defending their people’s civil rights, which the government has undermined under pressure from Saudi-backed Wahhabi extremists. Shias, who form the clear majority in the north, make up approximately half of Yemen’s overall population.

As Sana’a does not allow independent media into the conflict zone, there are no clear estimates available as to how many people have been killed in the Shia province of Sa’ada since 2004 or in the recent wave of violence.

According to UN estimates, however, during the past five years, more than 175,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Sa’ada to take refuge in overcrowded camps set up by the international body.

Of those 175,000, over 50,000 of those refugees left the war-torn province just in the first few weeks after the new round of conflict began.

Based on figures released by the UN Children’s Fund, the unrest has directly affected almost 75,000 children as well.