The United Nations said that at least 77 Yemenis have been killed by heavy rains and flooding in the war-torn country.
In a statement, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, “35,000 families, most of them IDPs (internally displaced people), were affected by heavy rains and flooding between 28 July and 10 August.”
Extreme weather is affecting 16 of Yemen’s 22 provinces, OCHA said.
It added that extreme weather “is expected to continue until 20 August.”
Due to an ongoing civil war over the past eight years, Yemen lacks proper infrastructure which decreased the vital services provided to Yemenis and increased their suffering in times of extreme weather.
Since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sanaa, Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability. Despite a military campaign conducted by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies since 2015 aimed at ousting them and restoring the Yemeni government, the Houthis remain in control of the capital, as well as wide swathes of territory.
An already dire humanitarian situation in the war-torn nation has been exacerbated by the Saudi-led campaign. Amid persistent famine-like conditions, millions suffer from hunger.
