UNICEF: Over 5,000 Children Killed, Injured in Saudi War on Yemen
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – More than 5,000 Yemeni children have been killed or injured since the start of Saudi-led aggression against the Arab country in March 2015, a representative of UNICEF said.
Speaking at a recent press conference in the capital Sana’a, Sara Beysolow Nyanti told reporters, “The escalating conflict has forced nearly half a million Yemeni children out of school.”
“The situation of Yemeni children is very miserable,” she added, Middle East Monitor reported.
Five children attended the press conference, they were a few of the 20 who – earlier in the month – wrote a letter to UN head Antonio Guterres and UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore to demand their rights.
“We, the children who have learned about the Convention on the Rights of the Child wish to live in peace because we are afraid of war and afraid of the explosions. It is our right to live in peace and to have all the rights mentioned in the Conventions,” the children wrote.
Fore wrote back that she was “deeply moved and honored” by the letter. “We want the dreams that you describe to come true. We all want an end to the war in Yemen. We are listening, UNICEF is with you every step of the way.”
An estimated two million children in Yemen are currently suffering from acute malnutrition, including 360,000 under five years old, according to recent UNICEF reports.
