As Saudi-led airstrikes continue in several parts of Yemen, the southern city of Aden is still being contested by local resistance fighters and pro-Houthi/pro-Saleh forces. Earlier this week, Houthi/Saleh units fought their way through al-Mansurah and other northern districts of Aden, and continued fighting with local forces in Khor Maksar. On Friday, the invading units shelled neighborhoods in Sirah District, also known as Crater, Aden's historic commercial core. Reporting by Al Jazeera from Friday shows local resistance fighters receiving crates of weapons and other supplies, which were air-dropped by Saudi planes. For the moment, local forces seem to have stopped the Houthi/Saleh advance outside of Sirah. Saudi-led aircraft bombed several parts of Aden this week, aiming to disrupt the invading forces' supply lines and take out armored vehicles belonging to the Houthi/Saleh forces. However, Houthi/Saleh forces are still in control of all land routes into the city, leaving the civilian population cut off from food and fuel.
According to Adeni officials, almost 200 people have been killed in this week's fighting in the city, and over 1,000 injured. Three quarters of these reported casualties are thought to be civilians.
In an emergency session of the UN Security Council today, Russia put forth a proposal for a humanitarian ceasefire. The Red Cross has called for an immediate halt to fighting to allow its workers and other NGOs to bring in badly-needed medical personnel and supplies.
"Otherwise, put starkly, many more people will die. For the wounded, their chances of survival depend on action within hours, not days," Robert Mardini, the ICRC's head of operations in the Near and Middle East, said Saturday.
Two Red Crescent volunteers working to rescue wounded civilians in Aden were shot dead on Friday in Sirah.
Also on Friday, AQAP fighters seized government buildings and banks in al-Mukalla, the capital of Hadhramawt Governorate. In response, forces from the Hadhramawt Tribal Confederacy have taken control of military bases in other parts of Hadhramawt, and are said to be advancing on al-Mukalla to force AQAP out.