Al-Thawra Net
Millions of children in Yemen could be pushed towards starvation by the end of the year, as the humanitarian crisis is compounded by a lack of funding as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic. This was said by UNICEF on Friday.
According to a report released by UNICEF, the number of malnourished children under the age of five in the war-torn country could rise by 20% to no fewer than 2.4 million, unless the international community makes up for a massive shortfall in aid.
“If we do not receive urgent funding, children will be pushed to the brink of starvation and many will die,” said UNICEF Yemen representative Sara Beysolow Nyanti. “We cannot overstate the scale of this emergency.”
Yemen has been ravaged by a Saudi-led and US-backed war for over five years. During this period, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced due to the violence.
Yemen’s healthcare system was already on the brink of collapse as it dealt with diseases like cholera, malaria and dengue fever, but the pandemic has just brought it dangerously close to shutting down entirely.
