Yemen: Endless suffering of children

Yemen is one of the biggest humanitarian crises in the world and about 21 million people, including more than 11 million children, are in need of humanitarian assistance.

At least 10,000 children have been killed or maimed since the beginning of the conflict, and thousands more have been recruited. It is estimated that 2 million children have been displaced within the country. Damage and closure of schools and hospitals have also disrupted access to education and health services. More than two million children are out of school, making them more vulnerable.

Meanwhile, Yemen is experiencing one of the worst food crises in the world, with nearly 3.3 million children under the age of five suffering from acute malnutrition. Of these, 400,000 are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition and may die if not treated promptly.

The dangerous combination of factors, caused by the conflict and the economic downturn, which has now intensified with Covid-19, has exacerbated the dire situation for Yemen's youngest children.

Martin Griffiths, the UN's humanitarian chief and emergency co-ordinator, said the war in Yemen - and the wider crisis it has launched - showed no signs of easing.

He described escalating "dangerous" tensions over the past six weeks with more than 650 civilian casualties in January - an average of 21 civilians killed daily by airstrikes, shelling, small arms fire and other violence. They were injured.

"This is the highest death toll in three years," he said, stressing that the war finds people in homes, schools, mosques, hospitals and other places where civilians should be protected.

Meanwhile, overseas attacks have intensified, killing, injuring and threatening civilians in the wider region. The biggest challenge so far is financing. He warned that relief agencies were rapidly running out of money, forcing them to cut back on life-saving programs. By the end of January, about two-thirds of UN aid programs had been reduced or closed altogether.

In December, the World Food Program (WFP) cut rations for eight million people. From March, they will probably not receive any food, while many UN humanitarian flights in Yemen (UNHAS) will have to be canceled.

Since the escalation of the conflict in March 2015, the country has become a hell for the country's children. Less than half of the treatment centers are active, and many that are still active lack basic equipment. Many health workers have not been paid regularly for years.

_{Source and Credit: UNHAS, WFP, UN NEWS}