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Two protesters were shot dead by government forces in eastern Yemen on Wednesday, according to a senior security official.
Local residents staged a protest against a decision to erect a security checkpoint in Haswain, west of Mahra province, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.
He said the protest developed into an armed clash during which security forces opened fire, killing two and injuring four others, the official said.
A Turkish humanitarian group on Tuesday said it provided aid to thousands of civilians in war-torn Yemen.According to a statement by the Istanbul-based Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), food aid was distributed to 13,255 civilians in western Wosab and Tihama regions.The statement said around 21 million people in Yemen are dependent on aid, while 9.8 million are facing starvation.Noting that health services cannot be provided in the country, it said that people cannot survive without external aid.The humanitarian group said another 6,000 civilians in the region will receive food aid in the upcoming days. Since the beginning of 2018, IHH helped a total of 198,556 civilians, including orphans, in Yemen by providing health care and food aid, the statement said.Turkish institutions and non-governmental organizations such as the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, Turkish Red Crescent, Turkiye Diyanet Foundation, and the IHH are continuing to provide humanitarian aid to the war-torn country.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
Turkish agency distributes aid in war-torn Yemen
Mahra governor Rajeh Bakrit, for his part, said on Twitter the security checkpoint came under fire from “outlaws and traffickers”, backed by Houthi rebels.
“They have been dealt with firmly,” he said, vowing to “strike with an iron fist against whoever tampers with security and stability of the homeland”.
The government-controlled Mahra province has the longest coast in eastern Yemen with 560 kilometers on the Arabian Sea.
Since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence and turmoil.
Yemeni civilians caught in the crossfire in a port city are bearing the terrible brunt of the escalating conflict, said the EU on Monday.The attacks around the city and port of Al-Hudaydah in West Yemen increased in recent days, and civilians in the crossfire are paying the ultimate price for the conflict once again, said a statement from the office of EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.It said that the attacks targeted civilian infrastructure, thus violating international humanitarian law."Cutting off access into and from Al-Hudaydah will push even more Yemenis to the brink of starvation, as the supply of basic commodities is disrupted," said the statement, adding that Yemen now has 22 million people who need assistance and 14 million on the brink of famine.The office also said that affected civilians should be given basic commodities such as fuel, food and medicines, and the EU is backing the UN-led negotiation process.Last week, Yemeni government forces launched a fresh military operation to retake Al-Hudaydah -- and its two strategic seaports -- from rebel Houthis.Al-Hudaydah receives roughly 70 percent of the commercial imports and humanitarian aid entering the country.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a devastating air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.
EU: Civilians paying ultimate price in Yemen conflict