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UNITED NATIONS, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations is concerned about the escalation of fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthi combatants that has now reached Hudaydah governorate, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here Thursday.
"The continued fighting is resulting in the killing and displacement of civilians and is having a significant impact on the humanitarian situation," Dujarric said at a daily news briefing.
Following the fight in and around Mokha, displacing 48,000 people, a Saudi-led coalition airstrike in Khokha town on March 10 killed at least 15 civilians, including three children and injured eight others.
"The UN reiterates that civilians and civilian property are protected under international humanitarian law," the spokesman said.
Survey results released on Wednesday highlight that there are currently 17 million people facing hunger, representing a 20 percent increase since June 2016, he said.
"At present, ports of Yemen must remain open, including Hudaydah port, to allow for both commercial and humanitarian vessels to import much needed food and fuel to avert a famine," Dujarric added.
On Feb. 8, the United Nations and humanitarian partners launched an international appeal on Wednesday for 2.1 billion U.S. dollars to provide life-saving assistance to 12 million people in Yemen in 2017.
Since March 2015, violent conflict between two factions claiming to constitute the Yemeni government has created a vast crisis in Yemen and millions of people face threats to their safety and basic human rights.
Latest UN figures showed that deliberate war tactics are accelerating the collapse of key institutions and the economy, thereby leaving some 18 million people, more than two thirds of the population, in need of humanitarian assistance.
An estimated 10 million people are acutely affected and need some form of immediate humanitarian assistance to save and sustain their lives, including food, health and medical services, clean water, sanitation and protection, according to UN figures.
Nearly 3.3 million people, including 2.1 million children, are acutely malnourished while 2 million people remain internally displaced.
