More than 11,000 children have been killed or maimed during Yemen’s nearly eight-year civil war, the United Nations has said.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed concern that the number of deaths from the worst humanitarian crisis could be much higher.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said that thousands of children have lost their lives and descended into the valley of death while millions more children who had survived the human tragedy were being overshadowed by the danger of death due to disease or hunger.
UNICEF said that about 2.2 million Yemeni children were severely malnourished, a quarter of malnourished children were under the age of five, most of these children have been at serious risk from preventable diseases such as cholera, measles and other such diseases.
The world agency’s latest data has confirmed the deaths of 3,774 children between March 2015 and September 2022. Yemen war began in 2014; Iran-backed Houthi rebels immediately captured the capital Sanaa after which Saudi-led forces intervened in support of the government.
Millions of people have been killed in Yemen as a result of direct or indirect effects of the situation arising out of this war such as unsafe drinking water, outbreaks of diseases, hunger and other factors.
The UN-brokered ceasefire lasted six months but the sides failed to reach an agreement on its extension. UNICEF has said that at least 62 children had been killed or wounded since the ceasefire ended.
The UN agency has said that 3,409 boys have been recruited to fight over the years and more than 90 girls have been assigned to checkpoints. “If children living in Yemen are to have a chance for a better future all influencers must ensure that these children are protected and supported,” Russell said.
