217 civilians killed by Al Houthi militants in Hodeida since ceasefire

Aden: Some 217 civilians have been killed and 2,152 others injured by Yemen’s Iran-allied Al Houthi militia in the port city of Hodeida since a UN-brokered ceasefire came into force there nearly a year ago, a Yemeni report has said.

The casualties have been the result of Al Houthi breaches including shelling attacks on residential areas and landmines they have planted on roads as well as plantations in the western city, a media centre linked to the pro-government forces Giants’ Brigades added, according to Saudi television Al Arabiya. Most casualties were women and children.

“A year has passed since the futile UN truce was sealed, adding to the suffering of Hodeida’s people,” the centre said. “The truce has provided no protection to them against aggression and criminality of the Houthi militias,” it added.

Al Houthis seized Hodeida in late 2014 when they overran parts of Yemen, plunging the impoverished country in a ruinous war.

Hodeida is strategically important because of its key port through which most Yemen’s imports and aid enter.