SANA'A, Nov. 24 (Saba) - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said the lives of millions of children are in "great danger" Millions of children in Yemen could be pushed to ‘the brink of starvation’ due to huge shortfalls in humanitarian aid funding.
"If we do not receive urgent funding, children will be pushed to the brink of starvation and many will die. The international community will be sending a message that the lives of children in a nation devastated by conflict, disease and economic collapse, simply do not matter," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Faure said.
An additional 6,600 children under the age of five could die from preventable causes by the end of the year – an increase of 28 per cent.
The health system is teetering closer to collapse. After years of war, only half of health facilities are operational, with huge shortages in medicine, equipment and staff.
23,500 children with severe acute malnutrition will be at increased risk of dying.
"Children in Yemen need lasting peace and stability in their country. Until that is achieved, we must do everything we can to save lives and protect childhoods, " Henrietta Faure said.
M.M