Sana´a _ Agencies
More than 78,000 families have been displaced from the western province of Hodeidah, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Thursday.
In a report issued in cooperation with humanitarian partners, the office said that 78400 displaced families from Hodeidah province have been spotted since the outbreak of clashes in June last June to 24 September.
"These families have been displaced to several neighboring governorates, including the capital, Sana´a, while others have been displaced to other areas in Hodeidah province," the report said.
"The combat situation in the past few days has remained largely unchanged and no substantive progress has been made by either side during the same period," the report said.
"Field reports indicate that Yemeni government forces may have expanded control north of the main road near the Kilo 16 area east of Hodeidah City, thus strengthening its control over part of the road between Hodeidah and Sana´a," he said.
"The armed clashes continued in the areas of kilo 10 and kilo 16 and around the airport, and sporadic armed clashes were reported on the lines of the provinces of Hays and Tehita," he said.
"Extensive air raids, artillery exchanges and shelling were reported along the front line and at several locations inside the city of Hodeidah, while civilian casualties were reported," he said.
"The conflict did not affect the movement of civilians inside the city of Hodeidah, where public services such as water pumping stations, hospitals, bakeries and banks are operating," he added.
For months, violent confrontations between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis in Hodeidah province have left large numbers of dead and wounded on both sides, as well as many civilian casualties.
