At least 125,000 displaced by escalating fighting in Yemen this month: UN

At least 125,000 people have been displaced by the ongoing fighting between government forces and Houthis in Yemen since the beginning of September, the United Nations said.

"Hostilities in Yemen are forcing people to flee their homes, causing civilian casualties and putting already overstretched humanitarian operations under increasing pressure," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement released late Monday.

It said at least 18,000 families, or around 125,000 people, had been displaced from their homes in Yemen since the start of September.

The statement, citing the UN Human Rights Office, said 40 civilians had been killed in the escalation, including eight people killed and 32 injured between Sept. 1 and 14.

Women and children accounted for half of those killed and more than half of those injured, according to OCHA.

The office called on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians, respect international humanitarian law and facilitate safe and unhindered humanitarian access to ensure urgent assistance reaches communities in need.

In recent days, the Houthis extended their control of Yemen's Red Sea coastline, including Mayyun Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, amid escalating fighting with government forces.

Yemen has been gripped by war since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led Arab coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.