Child casualties in Yemen at 27 in just over 10 days: UNICEF

YemenExtra

SH.A.

“Friday attack in Taiz leaves 7 children dead, bringing to 27 the number of children killed and injured in a recent escalation of violence near Sanaa and in Taiz over the past 10 days,” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore announced in an statement.

“Seven children between the ages of 4 and 14 were killed on Friday in an attack on the Mawiyah district, in the southern Yemeni city of Taiz,” the statement said.

“This attack brings to 27 the number of children killed and injured in a recent escalation of violence near Sanaa and in Taiz over the past 10 days. These are only the numbers that the United Nations has been able to confirm; actual numbers are likely to be even higher,” it added.

“Nowhere is safe for children in Yemen. The war on Yemen is haunting them in their homes, schools and playgrounds,” UNICEF official added.

“We, once again, urge those who have influence over this war to protect children at all times and keep them out of harm’s way. Attacks on civilian infrastructure must stop and calls for peace in Yemen must be heeded,” she said.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the devastating campaign against Yemen on March 26, 2015, with the aim of bringing a former government to power and crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement. While Riyadh has failed to fulfill its objectives, the Saudi-led war has so far claimed the lives of around 56,000 Yemenis.