UN slams 'absurd war' as Saudi-led strikes kill 68 Yemen civilians in one day

The first airstrike on Tuesday hit a "crowded popular market" in the Taiz province, killing 54 civilians including eight children and wounding 32 others, the UN official said in a statement.

The second raid was in the Red Sea province of Hodeidah and killed 14 people from the same family, the statement said.

"I remain deeply disturbed by mounting civilian casualties caused by escalated and indiscriminate attacks throughout Yemen," McGoldrick said.

In addition to the casualties from Tuesday's two air raids, another 41 civilians were killed and 43 wounded over the previous 10 days of fighting, he said.

"These incidents prove the complete disregard for human life that all parties, including the Saudi-led coalition, continue to show in this absurd war that has only resulted in the destruction of the country and the incommensurate suffering of its people," McGoldrick said.

These incidents prove the complete disregard for human life that all parties, including the Saudi-led coalition, continue to show in this absurd war that has only resulted in the destruction of the country and the incommensurate suffering of its people

He said civilians "are being punished as part of a futile military campaign by both sides".

"I remind all parties to the conflict, including the Saudi-led coalition, of their obligations under International Humanitarian Law to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure and to always distinguish between civilian and military objects," he said.

The UN official said the conflict in Yemen has no military solution and could be resolved only through negotiations.

A Saudi-led coalition has been waging an air campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebels since March 2015 in an attempt to shore up the internationally-recognised government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

Fighting and air raids have intensified since December 19, when Saudi air defences intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis towards the kingdom's capital Riyadh. 

More than 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the coalition's intervention in the impoverished country, where more than 2,000 people have also died of cholera this year.

The coalition has also imposed a crippling blockade on Yemen's sea and airports, stopping life-saving aid from reaching starving civilians.