Amnesty says panicked civilians fled hospital in Hodeida

CAIRO – Amnesty International says heavy fighting near a hospital in Yemen forced hundreds of patients to flee across the street, some carrying their own medical equipment, as shrapnel rained down.

The rights group described scenes of chaos from Sunday’s fighting near the al-Thawra hospital in the port city of Hodeida. Amnesty’s Lynn Maalouf said Monday that “as the battle for control of Hodeida intensifies, both sides seem intent on eviscerating the laws of war and disregarding the protected status of even the most vulnerable civilians.”

A Saudi-led coalition has been battling Yemen’s Houthi rebels since March 2015 in a war that has killed tens of thousands of people. The fighting is currently focused on Hodeida, a port city through which impoverished Yemen imports 70 per cent of its food and humanitarian aid.