DUBAI: Millions of children in war-torn Yemen could be pushed to “the brink of starvation” due to a lack of funding amid the coronavirus pandemic, the UN children’s agency said Friday, reports AFP.
The country’s health system has all but collapsed since the war escalated in 2015, with the intervention of a Saudi-led military coalition to support the internationally-recognised government against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.
A new UNICEF report warned of further deterioration of an already dire situation for children with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
It said that an additional 30,000 children could develop life-threatening severe acute malnutrition over the next six months, with the number of malnourished children rising up to 2.4 million overall — around a 20 percent increase.