Genocide in Yemen

Saudi-led coalition exposing Yemeni population to a ‘deadly combination of violence, disease and deprivation’

The following statement is attributable to the UNICEF Representative in Yemen

 “With no end in sight to the deadly conflict in Yemen, nearly 10 million children inside the country are now facing a new year of pain and suffering.

“Continuous bombardment and street fighting are exposing children and their families to a deadly combination of violence, disease and deprivation.

“The direct impact of the conflict on children is hard to measure. The statistics confirmed by the UN (747 children killed and another 1,108 injured since March last year; 724 children pressed into some form of military activity) tell only part of the story. But they are shocking enough in themselves.

“The broader effects of the violence on innocent civilians extend much further. Children make up at least half of the 2.3 million people estimated to have been displaced from their homes, and of the more than 19 million people struggling to get water on a daily basis; 1.3 million children under five face the risk of acute malnutrition and acute respiratory tract infections. And at least 2 million children cannot go to school.

“Public services like health, water and sanitation have been decimated and cannot meet the ever-increasing needs of a desperate population. Few of the 7.4 million children requiring protection (including psycho-social support to help deal with the effects of their exposure to violence) will actually receive it.

“The longer-term consequences of all this for Yemen — which was already the Middle East’s poorest nation even before the conflict — can only be guessed at.

Record Afghan casualties exceeded 11,000 in 2015

Violence in Afghanistan left more than 11,000 dead or wounded last year, making 2015 a record year for  civilian casualties, reported the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

The casualties (3,545 killed and 7,457 wounded) included an unprecedented number of children, with one in four casualties being a child, UNAMA reported Sunday.

“This report records yet another rise in the number of civilians hurt or killed. The harm done to civilians is totally unacceptable,” said a senior UN official.