“Since the conflict escalated in March 2015, the country has become a living hell for the country’s children. Less than half of health facilities are functioning, and many that remain operational lack basic equipment. Many health workers have not received a regular salary in several years,” said UNICEF, a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide.

“At least 10,000 children have been killed or maimed since the beginning of the conflict, and thousands more have been recruited into the fighting.  An estimated 2 million children are internally displaced. The damage and closure of schools and hospitals has also disrupted access to education and health services. More than two million children are out of school, leaving them even more vulnerable.”

Meanwhile, Yemen has been plagued by one of the world’s worst food crises, with nearly 2.3 million children under the age of five suffering from acute malnutrition. Of these, 400,000 are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition and could die if they do not receive urgent treatment.

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