By Zeynep Tufekci
MA'RIB, Yemen (AA) – The United Nations Sunday urged all parties in Yemen to end the violence and “ensure the protection of civilians.”
“I am deeply concerned about situation in #Sanaa,” Jamie McGoldrick, the U.N. Yemen Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, posted on Twitter.
“Initial reports indicate dozens of civilians killed and hundreds more wounded in the ongoing fighting. Many civilians are trapped in their homes. #Yemen,” McGoldrick wrote.
He urged all parties to “comply with the international humanitarian law, ensure the protection of civilians”.
“I ask the parties to stop the violence,” he posted on Twitter.
At least 36 people have been killed in two days of rebel infighting in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, according to a medical source on Sunday.
The medical source said many civilians were among the victims, adding that 225 people were also injured in the violence.
Impoverished Yemen has remained in a state of civil war since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including Sanaa.
The conflict escalated when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in 2015 aimed at reversing Houthi military gains and strengthening Yemen’s embattled government.