Situation in Yemen's Al Hudaydah Worsening, Citizens in Fear - Norwegian Refugee Council

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2018) The situation in Yemen's embattled port city of Al Hudaydah is becoming more unstable, with citizens' fears about the future growing, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) said Friday.

"Stability within Hodeidah is becoming worse and fear about what might happen continuing to increase. Those remaining in Hodeidah know they could lose everything, including their lives, but for many, it is not a simple decision to leave. To leave is to abandon everything people know and have worked for, with no certainty about the future," Saleem Shamiri, a Norwegian Refugee Council staff member based in Al Hudaydah, stated.

Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi rebels for several years. The Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf nations has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015.

The situation in the war-torn country has deteriorated sharply since June, when the Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive to seize Al Hudaydah, a key port city for humanitarian aid, from the Houthis.