UN alarmed over migrants streaming into Yemen despite conflict

Smugglers have brought tens of thousands of migrants into Yemen despite the civil war that has raged in the country over the past two years, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported on Tuesday in Geneva.

Some 117,000 people from Africa arrived on the coast of Yemen last year in the misguided hope of finding a better future there.

On Tuesday, UNCHR launched an information campaign with musicians who are popular in Somalia, Ethiopia and Egypt to warn potential migrants about the situation in Yemen.

An estimated 19 million people in Yemen depend on humanitarian aid, according to Amid Awad, the head of UNHCR's Middle East and North Africa operations.

More than 7,000 people have died in the conflict that started in March 2015 in the impoverished country on the Arab peninsula.

Houthi rebels have been fighting against Yemen's internationally recognised government.

A military coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, has supported the government with air attacks against the Houthis.    (dpa)

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