Dozens of Yemeni children have been killed or wounded in conflicts around the nation in the last two months, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“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.
According to Duamelle, the Arab country’s war has worsened since last year, with children always being “the first and most to suffer.”
“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.”
He urged all parties in the war, as well as “those with influence over them,” to “at all times” safeguard civilians, particularly children.
“Violence, misery and grief have been common place in Yemen with severe consequences on millions of children and families. 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 UN official said.
Since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels controlled much of the nation, including the capital Sanaa, Yemen has been immersed in bloodshed and chaos.
According to UN estimates, the conflict has generated one of the world’s biggest man-made humanitarian catastrophes, with about 80 percent of the nation, or roughly 30 million people, in need of humanitarian aid and protection, and more than 13 million in risk of hunger.
