Over 13,000 displaced families affected by heavy rains in Yemen

Over 13,500 displaced families in Yemen have been affected by heavy and torrential rains since last Wednesday, according to reports.

The rains have caused varying levels of damage – from mild to extreme - to over 197 displacement camps in the Marib province, a report by the Executive Unit for the Management of IDPs Camps in Marib revealed.

Affected districts include Raghwan, Hairib, Al-Madina and Marib Al-Wadi.

Some of the displaced have been present in the camps for years, as Marib shelters over 2.2 million displaced people that have fled war in the country since 2014.

“2,577 displaced families were completely affected while 10,972 were partially affected… the most prominent losses… include tents, shelter materials, damage to water tanks, personal belongings and [damage to] sewage networks,” the executive unit say.

The unit also added that the “provision of tents, plastic sheeting, fast food, food and clothing, and mobile clinics” are urgently needed.

The governor of Marib Major General Al-Arada stressed the need to raise the degree of coordination with humanitarian partners to provide the necessary aid to those affected, the report says.

The unit also reportedly called on humanitarian organisations to help “confront this humanitarian catastrophe… and save the lives of affected families”.

The conflict in Yemen – largely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran - began as Iran backed Houthi Rebels ousted the Yemeni government from power and took control of the capital Sanaa in 2014.

Saudi Arabia intervened in 2015, as the head of a US-backed coalition composed of mostly Gulf states, backing the Yemeni government.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands and caused what the United Nations describes as the world's largest humanitarian crisis.