UN says it has verified 19 civilian deaths in Yemen in past 10 days

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement that over the past 10 days it has verified 19 civilian deaths and 42 injuries in Yemen, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

"Over the past 10 days, we have documented a number of deeply worrying developments in Yemen that have had a serious impact on civilians across the country," it said.

Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson of OHCHR, told a press briefing that the armed groups affiliated with Al Qaeda and ISIS also appeared to have intensified their activities in the country.

The OHCHR said that the majority of the civilian deaths resulted from an attack in the Al Thabet market area of Sa'ada Governorate on July 29, when 14 civilians were killed and 26 injured.

There are conflicting reports about which party to the conflict carried out the attacks, it added.

There have also been reports of attacks hitting medical and educational facilities, including a July 31 attack damaging a hospital emergency department and ambulances in Taiz.

In Aden and Abyan in the south, a series of attacks took place on August 1 and 2 against a police station and military camps. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on the police station.

"We also remain deeply concerned about the situation in Al Dhale, in southwest Yemen, since the escalation of military operations there in March 2019, including the use of landmines -- which are by their very nature indiscriminate -- as well as airstrikes, shelling and ground fighting," Ravina said.

"We urge all parties to the conflict to seek to de-escalate the situation, and to ensure that any attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are meaningfully investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice," she added.