UN says 123 people killed in Yemen every week

The UN's refugee agency said yesterday there were 1,500 civilian casualties in Yemen from August to October, the latest grim tally to emerge from a four-year civil war as opposing parties hold talks in Sweden.

Swedish Foreign minister Margot Wallstrom (L) and UN special envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths. Photo by Stina STJERNKVIST / TT News Agency / AFP

The announcement came as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the internationally recognised government, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, met a second day for UN-sponsored talks aimed at halting the bloodshed. UNHCR urged the two sides to do more to protect civilians, saying data from Yemen shows 123 people were killed and wounded every week in the three-month period, in a war that has killed 16,000 civilians.

Yesterday at the venue in a castle in the town of Rimbo, UN envoy Martin Griffiths were seen walking on the grounds.