GENEVA

Four children and a woman were injured in a dawn attack on a camp for internally displaced persons managed by the UN in Yemen’s Ma’rib Al Wadi district, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday.

The IOM urgently called on all parties to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law and protect civilian lives.

“Families have fled for their lives and come to this site to seek safety from ongoing hostilities. Civilians should never be a target,” said IOM Yemen’s chief of mission Christa Rottensteiner.

The injured, one of whom was critical, were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

IOM said its teams are ensuring that the affected family receives the medical care and other urgent assistance.

Al Hamma displacement site hosts nearly 250 households made up of around 1,500 people.

IOM said it had provided shelter, essential relief items, water, sanitation, and hygiene services since 2019.

No IOM staff were injured in the attack.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises.

Nearly 80% of the population, or about 30 million, need humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million people are in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

A recent UN report projected that by the year’s end, the death toll from the seven-year Yemeni conflict will reach 377,000.