UN: Over 11K Children Killed or Maimed in Yemen

Facts

• The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) released a report on Monday stating that more than 11K children have been killed or maimed in Yemen's civil war since it began in late 2014, triggering what has been characterized as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
• According to UNICEF, between July and September of this year alone, at least 74 children were among the 164 people killed or injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance. More than 17.8M Yemenis also lack access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services.
• Following her recent visit to the country, agency chief Catherine Russell called for the "urgent renewal" of the truce between the Yemeni government and the Houthis that was originally implemented in April but expired in October. Since the ceasefire ended, another 62 children have reportedly been killed or injured as of Nov. 30.
• 2.2M Yemeni children are reportedly acutely malnourished — with 540K under the age of five in a "severe" category. Almost 75% of Yemen's population is estimated to need humanitarian assistance and protection.
• Yemen's civil war erupted in 2014 when the Houthis, who are supported by Iran, took hold of the capital Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene in support of the Yemeni government the following year.
• Since then, the war has been ongoing. The complex emergency has claimed massive casualties, either as a result of fighting or indirectly through unsafe drinking water, disease outbreaks, hunger, and other conflict-exacerbated factors.

Sources: France24, News UN, Middle East Monitor, and Lorientlejour.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Al Mayadeen. There is only one party to blame for Yemeni children's horrific suffering: Saudi Arabia and its allies. The war has ultimately been the result of Saudi Arabia's aggression toward Yemen and the resulting siege it imposed on Houthi-controlled areas. Saudi-US aggression must bear the responsibility for this humanitarian cataclysm.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by NGulf. The suffering of Yemeni children falls on Iran and its proxy force that only seek to terrorize Yemenis and cause chaos in the region. Though the Houthis and their supporters pretend that Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in Yemen out of nowhere, they only responded when the Houthis captured Sanaa and the internationally-recognized Yemeni government invited the intervention. Iran and its proxy forces must take responsibility for this atrocity.