Yemen Death Toll Soars Past 7,000

Yemen has been in a state of civil war since March 2015, with the Houthi controlling the country

Published 5 January 2016

The toll on Yemeni civilians is mushrooming, as the U.N. says it has uncovered evidence Saudi-led forces are using controversial cluster bombs.

Yemen's civil war has now claimed more than 7,000 lives, according to new United Nations figures released Tuesday.

The new death toll includes 2,795 civilians, according to the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

While announcing the new figures, OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville warned, “The on-going armed conflict in Yemen continues to take a terrible toll on civilians.”

“During the month of December, at least 62 civilians were reported to have been killed by airstrikes attributed to the coalition forces,” Colville said.

IN DEPTH: The War in Yemen

Colville also said the OHCHR had obtained disturbing information suggesting the Saudi Arabia-led coalition bombing Yemen may have deployed cluster munitions in civilian areas.

“During a field visit to the village of Al-Odair, in Haradh District, an OHCHR team found remnants of 29 cluster submunitions near banana plantations,” he said.

Colville continued, “According to witnesses, several other villages in the same area have also been affected.”

Cluster munitions are explosive devices packed with smaller bomblets or submunitions, which scatter when the main device is detonated. The weapons are highly controversial, with human rights groups arguing they inflict massive civilian casualties even decades after a conflict ends. Unexploded submunitions can be scattered over a large area, remaining undetonated for years. Clearing areas riddled with cluster bombs can be close to impossible.

Colville said the OHCHR may have evidence of civilians already suffering injuries from cluster submunitions.

“Our team also documented the use of cluster submunitions in several other districts, including Hairan and Bakel Al-Meer, and interviewed two patients who had reportedly been wounded, in separate incidents, after stepping on unexploded submunitions,” he said.

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Yemen has been in a state of civil war since March 2015, with the Houthi controlling the country's capital Sana'a.

Hadi has the backing of an international coalition led by Saudi Arabia, which is waging a campaign of airstrikes aimed at pushing back the Houthi.

The World Today - THE WAR IN YEMEN