UNICEF: Millions of Yemeni children on the brink of starvation

SANAA, June 26 (YPA) – 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, UNICEF said on Friday.

According to a report released by UNICEF, the number of malnourished children under the age of five in Yemen could rise by 20% — to 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’s healthcare system was already on the brink of collapse as it dealt with diseases like cholera, malaria and dengue, but the pandemic has just brought it dangerously close to shutting down.

Yemen has been ravaged by a Saudi, US-led war for over five years. During this period, tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced due to the violence.

E.M