The Yemeni army announced on Friday that 62 civilians were killed and 143 injured by Houthi fighters over a period of nine months, in the western governorate of Al-Hudaydah.

This came in a statement by the media centre of the Giants Brigades, affiliated with the Yemeni army.

The statement announced that: “62 civilians were killed and 143 others were injured by the Houthi militias in Al-Hudaydah governorate from January to September 2020.” The statement pointed out that 53 children and women were among the dead and injured.

The Houthi movement did not comment on the statement released by the Yemeni army until 10:20 GMT.

The Houthis control the centre of Al-Hudaydah governorate, in addition to its strategic port, while the joint forces seized the city entrances from the southern and eastern sides.

Yemen has been witnessing, for the fifth year running, a war between government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis who control Yemeni governorates, including the capital of Sanaa, since September 2014.

Since March 2015, an Arab military coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been supporting government forces to confront the Houthis in a war that has led to the world’s worst  humanitarian crisis, according to United Nations estimates.