More than 250,000 displaced within Yemen since fighting flared: UN

GENEVA, Oct 20: More than 250,000 people have been internally displaced in Yemen since the civil war reignited, the United Nations said today.

Yemen's civil war -- in which a Saudi-led military coalition supports the government against the Iran-backed Houthis -- reignited in July, months into the US-Iran conflict that has plunged the Middle East into crisis.

After an uneasy, four-year truce, Yemen's conflict has surged back to life and then intensified when the Houthis seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month.

Displacement is continuing to rise sharply across Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries, which was already suffering a vast humanitarian crisis.

"UNHCR is obviously deeply concerned about the escalating displacement situation," Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesman for the UN refugee agency, told a press conference in Geneva. "The numbers displaced have now reached over 250,000.

"These are people who have been internally displaced in Yemen between August 1 and October 17."�"AFP