WAR The actual toll is “likely much higher” as these figures only include cases verified by Unicef
Children in a refugee camp near Sanaa, Yemen on March 25, 2022. — Mohammad Mohammad/Xinhua
The figures released on Monday by the UN on the war in Yemen show the extent of the tragedy. More than 11,000 children have been killed, maimed or injured since 2015 and nearly 4,000 have been injured. involved in the conflict that has ravaged this country for more than eight years.
The poorest country in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen is devastated. since 2014 by a conflict between the Houthis, rebels backed by Iran, and pro-government forces backed by a military coalition led by neighboring Saudi Arabia. Among the 11,019 minor victims, 3,774 died, specifies the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). The previous assessment of the UN agency reported more than 10,200 children killed, injured or crippled.
Unicef seeks 484.4 million dollars
These new figures, covering the period from March 2015 to September 30, 2022, only take into account cases verified by the organization. The true toll is therefore “likely much higher”, notes Unicef.
During this period, 3,995 children were recruited: 3,904 boys to take part in combat and 91 girls at checkpoints or to participate in certain events. In addition, “hundreds of thousands (of children) are in danger of dying in the country. preventable diseases or starvation,” humanitarian aid for Yemen. Unicef says it has an “urgent need” of 484.4 million dollars (460 million euros) to respond to the the humanitarian crisis.
A fragile truce
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for its part considered that in November 2021 that’ the end of the year 2021, the war would have caused the death of nearly 377,000 people, victims of the conflict and its consequences: hunger, disease, lack of drinking water. from April, renewed at twice, expired beginning of October without the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels having succeeded in an agreement to extend it. Two months after the end of this truce, the fighting has not resumed but a series of attacks by Houthi rebels against oil terminals raise fears of a new escalation. According to Unicef, at least 62 children lost their lives in October and November.