Local Editor
One in three Yemeni children under five - approximately 1.3 million - are suffering from acute malnutrition.
Nine governorates are now in a state of emergency, just one step away from being declared a ‘famine’, including the besieged city of Taiz and the major port city of Al Hodeidah.
"Even when Yemeni families can get their critically ill babies to a functioning hospital, the electricity supply is patchy and fuel to run back up generators is scarce, meaning lifesaving equipment does not always function properly.
"The catastrophic food crisis in Yemen is clearly getting worse, and as we have seen so many times, it’s babies and children who suffer the consequences most."
The Saudi Arabia-led coalition military campaign against Yemen has killed more than 10,000 and cut off food, fuel, clean water and medical supplies.
A de facto blockade on imports by the Saudi-led coalition has caused stocks of food and fuel to remain perilously low. Food is 60% more expensive than before the conflict began in March 2015, and cooking gas is 76% more expensive.
The latest statistics reveal more than 2.7million people - out of a population of - have been displaced owing to the conflict, meaning they have lost their livelihoods and jobs. So even when people can find food to buy, many cannot afford it and their families go hungry.
Traumatized children
With more than 1,600 schools destroyed or shut, it is unsurprising that a third of school age children in Yemen do not have access to education.
Santiago said: "The psychological impact of the conflict has been devastating for children with many showing symptoms associated with distress and trauma including anxiety, low-self-esteem and lack of concentration.
"We support 300 children in our Child Friendly Spaces in Sana’a - giving them the opportunity to play, learn, create and spend time with their friends in a safe place where they can forget what they’ve been through. But ultimately their recovery requires an environment in which they are not in daily fear for their lives."
Saudi Arabia began its deadly campaign against Yemen in late March 2015. The strikes were meant to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and restore power to fugitive former president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
About 10,000 people have been killed and over 16,000 injured since Riyadh launched the airstrikes. The Saudi aggression has also taken a heavy toll on Yemen’s facilities and infrastructure.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team
