UNICEF: 1000 children killed, injured in Yemen since March

Nearly 400 children have been killed and around 600 others injured since violence escalated four months ago in Yemen, The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a report issued on Wednesday.

Disrupted health services, increased levels of child malnutrition, closed schools and higher numbers of children recruited by fighting groups are among the effects of the conflict now ravaging the Arab world’s poorest country, the report added.

“This conflict is a particular tragedy for Yemeni children”, said UNICEF Representative in Yemen, Julien Harneis. “Children are being killed by bombs or bullets and those that survive face the growing threat of disease and malnutrition. This cannot be allowed to continue”, he added.

Across the country, nearly 10 million children – 80 per cent of the country’s under-18 population – are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. More than 1.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes, according to the report.

The report outlined that children recruited or used in the conflict has more than doubled – from 156 in 2014 to 377 so far verified in 2015.

About 15.2 million people lack access to basic health care, with 900 health facilities closed since March 26, the report underlined.

1.8 million children are likely to suffer from some form of malnutrition by the end of the year, the report showed.

20.4 million people are in need of assistance to establish or maintain access to safe water and sanitation due to fuel shortages, infrastructure damage and insecurity.

The report indicated that nearly 3,600 schools have closed down, affecting over 1.8 million children.