Yemen: more than 11,000 children killed and injured since 2015
An injured child receives medical treatment at a hospital in Yemen's third largest city, Taez, after Houthi rebels shelled residential areas on October 31, 2022. AFP - AHMAD AL-BASHA
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More than 11,000 children have been killed, maimed or injured in Yemen since 2015 and nearly 4,000 have been enlisted in the war that has ravaged this country for more than eight years, the UN announced on Monday 12 December.
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The poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen has been devastated since 2014 by a conflict between the Houthis, rebels backed by Iran, and pro-government forces backed by a military coalition led by neighboring Saudi Arabia.
Among the 11,019 child victims, 3,774 died, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a statement.
The previous assessment of the UN agency reported more than 10,200 children killed, injured or crippled.
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in Yemen, abandoned, the population again plunged into horror
An even more alarming real toll
Its new figures, covering the period from March 2015 to September 30, 2022, only take into account cases verified by the organization.
The real balance sheet is therefore "
probably much higher
", notes UNICEF.
During this period, 3,995 children were recruited: 3,904 boys to take part in the fighting and 91 girls at checkpoints or to take part in certain events.
In addition, "
hundreds of thousands (of children) are at risk of death from preventable illnesses or starvation
," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in the statement, reiterating an appeal for humanitarian aid for Yemen.
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UN humanitarian fundraising appeals in the face of a record deficit
“
For the children of Yemen to have any chance of a decent future, the parties to the conflict, the international community and all those with influence must ensure that they are protected and supported,”
adds- she.
Unicef says it has an "
urgent need
" of 484.4 million dollars (460 million euros) to respond to the humanitarian crisis.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) estimated in November 2021 that at the end of 2021, the war would have caused the death of nearly 377,000 people, victims of the conflict and its consequences: hunger, diseases, lack of drinking water...
If the children of Yemen are to have any chance of a decent future, then the parties to the conflict, the international community and all those with influence must ensure they are protected and supported.
https://t.co/hNqSzwmmFP
— Catherine Russell (@unicefchief) December 12, 2022
A truce to renew
A truce, in effect from April, renewed twice,
expired in early October
without the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels reaching an agreement to extend it.
Two months after the end of this truce, the fighting has not resumed but a series of attacks by Houthi rebels against oil terminals raise fears of a new escalation.
According to Unicef, at least 62 children lost their lives in October and November.
"
The urgent renewal of the truce would be a positive first step that will allow essential humanitarian access
," argued Ms. Russell.
A nurse treats a 9-year-old child suffering from dehydration from cholera with an infusion at an MSF center in Yemen in May 2017. Nuha Haider/MSF
(With
AFP
)
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Yemen
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