Cholera deaths in war-torn Yemen surpass 2,300: UNICEF

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said that the total number of cholera fatalities in Yemen had surpassed 2,300 within the past 13 months amid ongoing conflict in the impoverished country.

"In spite of the progress made in responding to the cholera outbreak, the ailing health system and ongoing conflict could compromise such efforts," UNICEF's Yemen office tweeted Wednesday evening.

"In over 13 months, the cumulative total of reported suspected cholera cases is 1,118,381 with 2,311 associated deaths across Yemen," it added.

Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.

The following year, UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait failed to end the destructive conflict.

The violence has devastated Yemen's infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as "one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times".