According to UNICEF, eleven million children in the civil war-torn Yemen are dependent on humanitarian aid. The United Nations Children’s Fund warned on Friday that without immediate action, the risk of malnutrition would continue to rise. Around 2.2 million Yemeni girls and boys are already suffering from acute malnutrition. More than 540,000 of them are so severely malnourished that without treatment their lives are in imminent danger.
In Yemen, a military alliance led by Saudi Arabia is fighting on the side of the government once morest the Houthi rebels. The humanitarian crisis in the Arab country can be traced back to a devastating interplay of factors: Eight years of civil war led to the collapse of the economy and, as a result, to the population’s basic needs, according to UNICEF. More than 11,000 children were killed or seriously injured in Yemen between 2015 and 2022. In their distress, families often make decisions that are harmful to their children, such as child marriage, child labor or conscription for military service.
UNICEF says it needs $484 million (€444.89 million) to continue its humanitarian aid to children in Yemen this year. If the funding gaps are not closed, important measures for basic services and the well-being of children are at risk.
