Fighting in Yemen’s Aden leaves at least 53 people dead

At least 53 people have been killed in fresh clashes between members of popular committees, including Houthis, and forces loyal to fugitive President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi in Yemen’s main southern city, Aden.

Medical and army sources said Monday that seventeen civilians were among those killed in Aden since Sunday, as well as 10 fighters loyal to President Hadi.

The fighting left 26 Houthi fighters dead, according to an army source.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report published on Monday that at least 549 people have died in almost three weeks of violence in Yemen as Saudi Arabia continues to target the country with military strikes.

The OCHA further noted that 1,707 people have also been injured in the violence in Yemen since March 19.

According to the OCHA’s data, at least 217 of those killed were civilians. Another 516 civilians were also injured.

In addition, the OCHA said the violence in Yemen and the Saudi airstrikes continue to hamper humanitarian access to the affected areas, though “partners are working to import critical supplies – mainly to support hospital services – and deploy emergency medical teams.”

Saudi Arabia’s air campaign against Yemen started on March 26 without a UN mandate in a bid to restore power to the country’s fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a close ally of Riyadh.

Popular committees have taken over state matters, citing the former Hadi government’s inability to properly run the affairs of the country and contain terror and corruption.