These new figures only take into account the cases verified by the organization. The actual assessment is therefore “probably much higher”, notes UNICEF.
mo12345lemonde with AFP
More than 11,000 children have been killed, mutilated or injured in Yemen since 2015 and nearly 4,000 have been enlisted in the war that has ravaged this country for more than eight years, announced the UN on Monday 12. >
The poorest country of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen has been devastated since 2014 by a conflict between Houthis, rebels supported by Iran, and the progressive forces supported by a military coalition led by neighboring Saudi Arabia .
Among the 11,019 small victims, 3,774 died, said the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in a press release.
The previous UN agency report reported more than 10,200 children killed, injured or crippled. Its new figures, covering the period from March 2015 to September 30, 2022, only take into account the cases verified by the organization. The actual assessment is therefore “probably much higher”, notes UNICEF.
hundreds of thousands of children in danger of death
During this period, 3,995 children were recruited: 3,904 boys to take part in the fighting and 91 girls on control positions or to participate in certain events.
Furthermore, “hundreds of thousands (children) are in danger of death because of diseases that could be avoided or famine,” said the director general of UNICEF Catherine Russell, who reiterates an appeal Humanitarian aid for Yemen.
“So that the children of Yemen have the slightest chance of having a decent future, the parties in conflict, the international community and all those who have influence must ensure that they are protected and supported” , she adds.
humanitarian crisis
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) estimated in November 2021 that at the end of 2021, the war would have caused the death of nearly 377,000 people, victims of the conflict and its consequences: hunger, diseases, lack of drinking water …
A truce, in force from April, renewed twice, expired in early October without the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels reached an agreement allowing it to prolong it.
Two months after the end of this truce, the fighting did not resume but a series of attacks by the Houthi rebels against petroleum terminals make fear a new escalation.
UNICEF says it has an “urgent need” of $ 484.4 million (460 million euros) to meet the humanitarian crisis.