Houthis try to push deeper into western Yemen, upending life, witnesses tell NPR
Houthi fighters have advanced into the Yemeni port city of Mokha, causing mass displacement and the suspension of essential healthcare services. Aid groups warn that the humanitarian crisis is worsening as the conflict disrupts critical supply routes.
Why it matters
The escalation threatens to exacerbate one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, further straining limited aid resources.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — As Houthi fighters swept into the western Yemeni port city of Mokha earlier this month, Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces abandoned their armored vehicles and aid groups say families fled with no time to grab their clothes.
Around 125,000 people were displaced in just a matter of days, says the U.N. World Food Programme.
The U.N. says most healthcare facilities in Mokha immediately shut down, but Mokha's General Hospital remained open as staff treated patients who cannot leave.
"There are pregnant women who need urgent care. There are women who need cesarean sections. There are children who need treatment and patients with medical conditions who simply cannot wait," says Sarah Ahmed, a health promotion supervisor with the aid group, Doctors Without Borders, in Mokha's General Hospital.
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