An international charity says more than a million children in Yemen under the age of five are suffering from malnutrition while more than half of the country’s population of 28 million face food shortages.
Those who manage to reach help are fed high-calorie foods, but many are cut off from aid due to a war that has dragged on for more than two years between Houthi fighters and the government backed by a Saudi-led coalition, according to Save The Children.
“Yemen’s children are trapped in an almost unimaginable tragedy, they’re under attack from all sides,” said Caroline Anning, senior conflict policy advisor at Save the Children.
“Children are hugely malnourished. All across the country millions of children [are] too weak to stand up, too weak to go to school, dying of hunger.”
The UN has accused Saudi Arabia and its allies of blocking fuel for cargo aircraft trying to deliver aid.
Meanwhile, a cholera outbreak continues to threaten lives.
“I got up in the morning suffering from vomiting, diarrhea and severe pain in my stomach,” said Mohamed Talal, a boy with suspected cholera case. “I was brought to the hospital for treatment, but I still have the stomach pain.”
Almost 1,900 people have died from the disease and more than 425,000 have been infected.
The UN has called this “a man-made disaster”.