Geneva, 11 Nov. (AKI) - The United Nations refugee agency has expressed concern about the recent escalation of conflict between security forces and rebels in northern Yemen.

“We again appeal for the protection of civilians and secure and unhindered access for humanitarian workers to deliver much needed assistance,” Andrej Mahecic, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said in Geneva.

UNHCR estimatedthat some 175,000 people have been affected by the conflict with Houthi rebels since 2004 and was particulary concerned about those displaced by the latest fighting which began in August.

Some 2,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) arrived from embattled Sa'ada governorate to the Al Mazrak camp in Hajja governorate over the past few days, the agency reported.

The Al Mazrak camp, which already hosts around 8,700 IDPs, has been reorganised and extended to accommodate the new arrivals, while another 11,000 IDPs are being sheltered by host families and communities.

At the weekend, UNHCR airlifted a shipment of emergency relief items from its central emergency stockpile in Dubai, including large tents and prefabricated warehouses to improve aid delivery.

Saudi authorities have told the agency’s office in Riyadh that the situation at the Alp border is stable, allowing UNHCR to continue its cross-border aid activities.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has vowed to crush the rebels, which have been of wanting to re-establish Zaydi Shia clerical rule.

The Zaydi Shia community are a minority in Yemen, but make up the majority in the north of the country.