Red Cross condemns ‘reprehensible’ Yemen attacks that killed 55 civilians
Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudi-led coalition have been conducting an offensive to capture Hodeida from the Iran-backed Houthi rebels
A series of explosions on Thursday on Yemen’s rebel-held port city of Hodeida killed 55 civilians and wounded dozens of others, the Red Cross said, denouncing the “reprehensible” disregard for human life.
The attacks, which were also denounced by a senior UN official, come as the United Nations has said it will invite warring sides in Yemen for talks on September 6 in Geneva to discuss a framework for peace negotiations.
UN-brokered political talks on Yemen broke down in 2016 amid demands for a rebel withdrawal from key cities and power-sharing with the Saudi-backed government.
Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has been leading a military campaign to restore the internationally recognised government to power and push back the Houthi rebels, who still hold the capital Sanaa.
The war has left nearly 10,000 people dead and unleashed what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
The International Committee of the Red Cross on Friday said 55 civilians were killed and 170 others wounded “when a series of explosions rocked densely populated districts of the coastal city, including a fish market and the area around Al-Thawra Hospital”.
