[JURIST] UN High Commissioner for Human Rights [official website] Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein expressed concern [press release] Tuesday over the rising civilian death toll in Yemen as Saudi-led airstrikes continue. Almasirah TV [media website] reported on the latest Saudi airstrike, which attempted to protect the port city of Aden from Shiite rebel forces Wednesday. Doctors Without Borders [advocacy website] reported [press release] that more than 550 patients were received at the Aden facility and warned of the increasing difficultly to provide medical services to the war-torn city. Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] on Saturday reported [JURIST report] an inability to determine whether the airstrikes complied with the laws of war, and the High Commissioner “condemn[ed] all attacks on hospitals and other medical facilities, which have a special protected status under international law.”

The rapidly deteriorating situation in Yemen [JURIST news archive] has sparked major international concern. Last week during an emergency meeting, the UN special envoy to Yemen warned [JURIST report] the UN security Council that the situation in Yemen is teetering on the brink of civil war. On Sunday Arab leaders announced [JURIST report] that a unified military force will be formed to oppose the growing threats from Yemen to Libya. In February UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged [JURIST report] Yemen to reinstate President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. In November UN rights experts expressed concern [JURIST report] over alleged human rights violations occurring in Yemen in recent months.