At least 61 people were killed in the last 24 hours during clashes between Houthi rebels and pro-government forces in Yemen’s Hodeida, AFP reported. The wounded are being treated at local hospitals in Sanaa and Ibb and other places. Reports have, however, varied on the toll, with Al Jazeera saying that 43 people died.

A pro-government alliance, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates since 2015, are fighting the Iranian-backed Shiite rebels. Yemen’s Hodeida city, which is home to a strategic port, is their latest battleground. More than 400 fighters have been killed during clashes that occurred over the last 10 days.

The news agency said that medics and military sources informed them about the deaths of 43 Houthi rebels and 18 loyalists.

The United Nations has described Yemen as “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis”, with close to 75% of its population requiring some form of humanitarian assistance and protection.

In October, the international organisation had warned that Yemen could face the worst famine in a century if the Saudi Arabia-led coalition did not stop airstrikes, The Guardian reported. UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, Lise Grande, told the BBC that 12 to 13 million civilians could starve to death.

On October 30, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had called on all participants to end hostilities in Yemen.

A fresh attempt at peace negotiations, which were scheduled to be held in November in Sweden, was rescheduled for December, Al Jazeera reported.