THE Western-backed war on Yemen is in danger of leaving a further one million children without enough food to sustain life, Save the Children warned today.
The humanitarian charity warned of “starvation on an unprecedented scale” in the Middle East’s poorest country, where 5.2 million children face famine due to a food blockade at the port of Hudayda.
In a new report, Save the Children says an additional one million children are at risk of famine as rising food prices and a drop in the value of Yemen’s currency cause widespread food insecurity.
Around two-thirds of the country’s population receive food supplies through Hudayda, which has been the scene of intense fighting between Houthi rebels and the Western-backed Saudi-led coalition that is imposing the blockade, despite warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe.
Following the collapse of talks in Geneva earlier this month, the United Nations has warned that, “in a worst-case scenario,” the battle for Hudaydah could cost up to 250,000 lives.
Saudi forces have accused Iran of smuggling weapons to Houthi rebels through the port, though both parties deny the allegations.
And Save the Children warned that any blockade of Hudayda “would put the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in immediate danger, while pushing millions more into famine.”
Comments are closed.