The United Nations children’s agency in a statement on Saturday said that more than 11,000 children have been killed or maimed in the Yemen civil war, adding that the “true toll of this conflict is likely to be higher”.
As per an AFP report quoting UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell, “Thousands of children have lost their lives, hundreds of thousands more remain at risk of death from preventable disease or starvation.”
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The Yemen war which broke out in 2014, saw escalation as Houthi-backed rebels seized the capital Sanaa, which in turn led Saudi-led forces to intervene and put in place a government the next year.
As per UNICEF, about 2.2 million children, a quarter of which are less than five years old in Yemen are acutely malnourished. Most of them are also at risk from Cholera, measles and other diseases that could be easily prevented through vaccinations.
The report added that hundreds of thousands of children have lost their lives since the start of this war, either directly due to the clashes or indirectly due to the unavailability of safe drinking water, food, and disease outbreaks.
UNICEF’s latest numbers put the number of child deaths between March 2015 and September 2022 at 3,774. Additionally, the organisation claims that some 3,904 boys and 90 girls have been recruited into the fighting over the last eight years.
“If the children of Yemen are to have any chance of a decent future… all those with influence must ensure they are protected and supported,” said Russell as the agency appealed for a $484.4 million funding to tackle the humanitarian crisis plaguing the country.
(With inputs from agencies)
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