“Since the conflict escalated in March 2015, the country has become a living hell for the country’s children. Now, with COVID-19 spreading, Yemen is facing an emergency within an emergency. Sanitation and clean water are in short supply,” UNICEF said and added: “Only half of the health facilities are functioning, and many that remain operational lack basic equipment like masks and gloves, let alone oxygen and other essential supplies to treat the coronavirus. Many health workers are receiving no salaries or incentives.”

“Children continue to be killed and maimed in the conflict, while the damage and closure of schools and hospitals have disrupted access to education and health services, leaving children even more vulnerable and robbing them of their futures.”

“Nearly 2.3 million children under the age of five in Yemen are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition in 2021, according to an analysis in February. “

“Of these, 400,000 are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition and could die if they do not receive urgent treatment,” UNICEF warned.

UNICEF noted that a dangerous combination of factors, driven by conflict and economic decline and now exacerbated by COVID-19, had compounded the dire situation for Yemen’s youngest children. (ILKHA)