Local Editor
An estimated 85,000 children under the age of five may have died from acute malnutrition in three years of war in Yemen, a leading charity says.
Save the Children used data compiled by the UN and evaluated mortality rates for untreated cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in children under five years. Using a conservative estimate, the humanitarian aid agency discovered that approximately 84,701 children with SAM may have died between April 2015 and October 2018.
“We are horrified that some 85,000 children in Yemen may have died because of extreme hunger since the war began. For every child killed by bombs and bullets, dozens are starving to death and it’s entirely preventable,” Tamer Kirolos, Save the Children’s Country Director in Yemen, said.
The UN warned last month that up to 14 million people are at the brink of famine.
That number has increased dramatically since the Saudi and Emirati-led coalition imposed a month-long blockade of Yemen just over a year ago.
“Children who die in this way suffer immensely as their vital organ functions slow down and eventually stop. Their immune systems are so weak they are more prone to infections with some too frail to even cry. Parents are having to witness their children wasting away, unable to do anything about it,” Kirolos added.
The charity called for an immediate end to the fighting “so no more lives are lost.”
“We urgently need to get high-nutrient foods to the most vulnerable children in Yemen, some of whom are truly on the brink. Just $60 can feed a family of seven for a whole month. One child dying from starvation is one child too many,” Save the Children’s Country Director in Yemen added.
Source: Yemenwatch.net
