“Medical staff and patients in the hospital have confirmed hearing heavy bombing and gunfire. Access to and from the hospital, the only functioning one in the area, is now imperilled.
“Children in particular cannot afford for Al Thawra to be caught up in the fighting. Hudaydah and the neighbouring governates account for 40 per cent of the 400,000 children in the country who suffer from severe acute malnutrition. Some of the sickest are taken to the hospital for urgent care.
The chances of survival are becoming slimmer by the day for the nearly 400,000 severe acutely malnourished children fighting for their lives in Yemen. To help children, we need access. @UNICEF_Yemen
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) October 30, 2018
#ChildrenUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/8EhRDJbzcz
“Fighting has also reportedly intensified around Hudaydah’s port – through which up to 80 per cent of Yemen’s humanitarian supplies, fuel and commercial goods are delivered. The toll in lives could be catastrophic if the port is damaged, destroyed or blocked.
“UNICEF’s teams on the ground are delivering assistance including lifesaving supplies like medicines, clean water and therapeutic food to treat acutely malnourished children. Further escalation in the fighting will jeopardize these efforts.
“UNICEF calls on all parties to cease hostilities near and around the hospital, and to ensure that civilians can safely access the hospital from all sides, and to abide by their legal obligations to stop attacks against civilian infrastructure – including the port of Hudaydah”
The conflict has made Yemen a living hell for children. Over 11 million children – 80 per cent of all children in the country – require humanitarian assistance.
Worsening years of underdevelopment, attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure and lack of salary payments for most civil servants have pushed basic services for children to the brink.
from Latest News - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/2F3bYGS
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