EAST WEST NEWS is very sorry
to say that the money set apart for mass destruction weapons is much more than
money kept for the protection of lives around the world. What will we find in
killing humans the world should think???
The United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF) today underscored the devastating toll six months of violence has
taken on the children of Yemen, where at least 500 have lost their lives and
more than 1.7 million are at risk of malnutrition.Across the country, nearly 10
million children - 80 per cent of the country’s under-18 population - need
urgent humanitarian assistance. More than 1.4 million people have been forced
to flee their homes, the agency said in a news release.“With every day that
passes, children see their hopes and dreams for the future shattered,” said
UNICEF Representative in Yemen Julien Harneis. “Their homes, schools and
communities are being destroyed, and their own lives are increasingly
threatened by disease and malnutrition.”UNICEF pointed out that even before the
conflict, the nutrition situation was dire as Yemen produces less than 10 per
cent of its food needs and relies heavily on imported foodstuffs.
However, the escalation of
the fighting has caused food insecurity to spiral and malnutrition to spike.The
consequences for children are “dramatic,” said UNICEF, noting that the number
of children under five at risk of severe acute malnutrition has tripled in
2015, with 537,000 children now at risk, compared to 160,000 children before
the conflict.In addition, almost twice as many children under five, a total of
1.2 million children, are projected to suffer from moderate acute malnutrition
this year, compared to 690,000 before the crisis.The agency attributes the
deterioration to food shortages and poor access to markets caused by the
conflict, reduced access to health facilities and sanitation, and the
disruption of livelihood opportunities. Scarcity of fuel, electricity, gas,
water and other services and utilities is further exacerbating the situation.
The last six months have also
seen a growing number of attacks on civilians and vital infrastructure,
according to UNICEF. Since the escalation of the conflict in March 2015, it has
verified attacks on or damage to 41 schools and 61 hospitals as a result of the
fighting.Despite these extremely challenging conditions, UNICEF and its
partners have been at the centre of humanitarian operations since the beginning
of the conflict. The response has focused on providing drinking water and
sanitation, education and child protection services as well as treatment of
children with malnutrition, diarrhoea, measles and pneumonia.
The agency has also provided
psychological support to help children cope with the horrors of the conflict,
as well as education material on avoiding unexploded ordnances and
mines.According to State of the Crisis: Explosive Weapons in Yemen, a new
publication produced by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA) and the United Kingdom-based charity Action on Armed Violence
(AOAV), Yemen is the worst country for civilian deaths and injuries from
explosive weapon use in the first seven months of 2015.In March 2015, a long
and complex political crisis in Yemen rapidly escalated into all-out conflict.
As the fighting has spread across the country, millions of civilians are
suffering from the violence.The spiralling crisis has been characterized by the
use of explosives with wide-area effects in populated areas. “All parties to
the conflict have repeatedly used heavy weapons in the fighting since March,”
says the report, which explains when explosive weapons were used in populated
areas, civilians made up 95 per cent of reported deaths and injuries.In
addition, 13 separate incidents in Yemen each killed and injured more than 100
civilians.
Eight of these incidents were
air strikes. Moreover, air strikes have killed and injured the most civilians,
with 2,682 civilian deaths and injuries (60 per cent).The impact of explosive
weapons in Yemen goes far beyond the immediate deaths and injuries recorded by
AOAV. The report uses testimonies and experiences of victims and witnesses to
illustrate some of the long-term impacts that can cause extensive suffering far
into the future, even after the fighting ends.“Our findings show Yemen is the
worst country in the world this year for civilians affected by explosive
violence, more devastating even than the crisis in Syria and Iraq,” said Robert
Perkins, author of the report.
“An already vulnerable
population is now faced with a country reduced to rubble by falling bombs and
rockets. Their homes destroyed, their families torn apart, it will take a many
years to recover from the last few terrible months in Yemen. AOAV and OCHA are
urging all the parties to the conflict - national forces and non-State armed
groups - to heed the UN Secretary-General’s call to avoid the use of explosives
with wide-area effects in populated areas.
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