Infighting kills 40, wounds 260 in Yemen’s Aden: UN

The United Nations (UN) says at least 40 people have been killed and 260 others wounded in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden during infighting between groups of militia receiving support from either Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“Scores of civilians have been killed and wounded since August 8 when fighting broke out in the city of Aden. Preliminary reports indicate that as many as 40 people have been killed and 260 injured,” UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen Lise Grande said in a statement on Sunday.

“It is heart-breaking that during Eid al-Adha, families are mourning the death of their loved ones instead of celebrating together in peace and harmony,” Grande further said. “Our main concern right now is to dispatch medical teams to rescue the injured.”

She said civilians “need to be able to move freely and safely to secure the things they need to survive,” an indication that movement is restricted in the city.

The infighting erupted on Wednesday, when a group of separatist militia in southern Yemen were attending a funeral for dozens of fellows, including a senior militant commander who had been killed in a missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The separatists, which are backed by the UAE and are known as the Southern Transitional Council (STC), accused a political party allied to Saudi-backed forces of complicity in the missile attack and clashes broke out between the sides.

SS