Since 2015, more than 10,000 children have been victims to the conflict. The actual figure is much larger.
Dozens of children have been killed or maimed in war-torn Yemen over just two months as the conflict in the country continues to escalate, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Saturday.
The UNICEF Representative in Yemen Philippe Duamelle said in a statement that since the conflict there escalated about seven years ago, more than 10,200 children have been killed or maimed while “The actual number will likely be much greater.”
“47 children were reported to have been maimed or killed in various places across the country during the first 2 months of 2022.” Duamelle said.
He called on the parties to take all possible measures to protect civilians, saying that “It is time to find a lasting political solution.”
According to the UNICEF annual report which was published on February 28, “Verified attacks against nine schools and five hospitals.” in 2021, as well as six incidents of military use of education or health facilities. 386 children were killed or maimed “Different parties in conflict.”
Military action, however, is apparently not the main cause of children’s deaths. According to the UN paper, “Acute malnutrition is expected to impact more than 250,000 children between 0 and 59 months in 2021.” with nearly 400,000 cases of children estimated to endure severe acute malnutrition.
“A complex set of factors contribute to Yemen’s high incidence of acute and chronic malnutrition. These include widespread poverty and food insecurity, inadequate access to clean water, and poor infant and young-child feeding practices.,” UNICEF said.
Conflict has been ongoing since 2014 in the Arab World’s poorest nation. A coalition of Saudi-led and US-supporting forces launched a military operation in Yemen to assist the government against Shia Houthi rebels, which were allegedly being supported by Iran. According to UNICEF, since then Yemen’s economy has shrunk by more than half, with over 80% of the population currently living below the poverty line.
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