Fighting between Yemeni government forces and rebels has trapped tens of thousands of civilians in and around the port town of Mokha, where over 30 fighters were killed Wednesday, residents and the UN said. "We fear the (Shiite) Huthi (rebel) snipers who have taken up positions on rooftops but also the firing from the other (government) side," said Majed Mukaibar, a 32-year-old fisherman and father in the Red Sea town of south-west Yemen.
Ibrahim Saleh, a tradesman who works in southern Yemen's main city of Aden, told AFP that he has been trying since last week to evacuate his family from Mokha but has been thwarted by incessant gunfire.
The UN humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, said in a statement released Tuesday that he was "extremely concerned about the safety and well-being of civilians" in Mokha and nearby Dhubab.
"Information from the field indicates that military operations in the coastal region have forced most residents of Dhubab to flee the area," he said.
McGoldrick said "an estimated 20,000-30,000 people, almost one third of the population, are trapped in the town (of Mokha) and require immediate protection and relief assistance".
Constant air strikes, shelling and sniper fire around the town had "killed and injured scores of civilians and have ground most services to a halt", including water supplies.
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