47 Yemeni Children Killed, Maimed in Two Months: UNICEF
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The United Nations’ children’s fund said on Saturday that at least 47 children were “killed or maimed” in Yemen in January and February amid a surge in Saudi-led violence.
Children are the "first to suffer," according to UNICEF, with at least 10,000 kids killed or maimed since the Saudi-led military coalition began air raids in the Middle East's poorest country in 2015.
Saudi Arabia, backed by the United States and regional allies, launched the war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former Yemeni president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi back to power and crushing the popular Ansarullah resistance movement.
“Just over the first two months of this year, 47 children were reportedly killed or maimed in several locations across Yemen,” Philippe Duamelle, UNICEF representative to Yemen, said in a statement.
“Since the conflict escalated in Yemen nearly seven years ago, the UN verified that more than 10,200 children have been killed or injured. The actual number is likely much higher.”
The war has left hundreds of thousands of Yemenis dead and displaced millions more. It has also destroyed Yemen’s infrastructure and spread famine and infectious diseases there.
“Violence, misery and grief have been commonplace in Yemen with severe consequences on millions of children and families,” Duamelle said.
“It is high time that a sustainable political solution is reached for people and their children to finally live in the peace they so well deserve.”
The war has caused a collapse in basic services such as healthcare and education, with millions of people displaced and 80 percent of the population dependent on aid.
More than 2,500 schools are unusable, according to UNICEF, as they have been destroyed or used to shelter the displaced.