Yemeni government on Thursday confirmed that 27 civilians were killed and 73 others injured during the on-and-off clashes between government forces and the Houthi rebel group in the past 40 days.

According to Yemeni Human Rights Ministry, the clashes have been ongoing in various areas of southern Al-Dali province.

Around 9,000 people had to leave their houses, while 541 houses were partially or fully damaged. Nine schools and five health institutions were destroyed and 16 government institutions were taken by the Houthis, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the UN and international community also called for protection of civilians against war crimes by Iran-backed Houthis in Al-Dali province.

Yemen has been wracked by violence since 2014, when the Houthis overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched an air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

The ongoing conflict has wrecked much of the impoverished country’s basic infrastructure, prompting the UN to describe the situation there as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.

AFP.