Red Cross Delivers Medical Supplies to Besieged Taiz in Yemen

A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) managed to enter the city of Taiz, one of the worst-affected places in Yemen's fighting, and deliver life-saving medical supplies, according to an official statement organization.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has delivered medical supplies to the Yemeni city of Taiz, the residents of which have been caught in fighting between the government forces and rebels, the humanitarian organization said in a statement on Saturday.

"A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has managed to enter the city of Taiz, one of the worst-affected places in Yemen's fighting, and deliver life-saving medical supplies," the ICRC said in a statement.

According to the statement, although the Red Cross has been assisting people in the Taiz province for the last 10 months, it has been unable to enter the city itself since August 2015.

The ICRC has provided three tons of supplies including surgical items, intravenous fluids and anesthetic supplies to help treat hundreds of wounded, as well as essential medicines for pregnant women, to four hospitals in Taiz, the statement said.

Yemen has been engulfed in a military conflict between the government headed by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and Shiite Houthi rebels, who have been supported by army units loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states began airstrikes against Houthis in Yemen at the request of President Hadi, causing hundreds of civilian casualties. According to the Yemeni Health Ministry, the bombardments of the coalition in the country have killed over 7,000 people and injured more than 16,500.