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Report: 1 million more children at risk as conditions worsen in Yemen

By Sommer Brokaw
A malnourished child sits on a bed at a hospital in Sana’a, Yemen. A report by Save the Children Wednesday detailed challenging conditions in the war-torn country, like the rising cost of food. File Photo courtesy of UNICEF
A malnourished child sits on a bed at a hospital in Sana’a, Yemen. A report by Save the Children Wednesday detailed challenging conditions in the war-torn country, like the rising cost of food. File Photo courtesy of UNICEF

Sept. 19 (UPI) -- A non-governmental child advocacy organization warned Wednesday that about 1 million more children are now at risk of famine as conditions worsen in war-torn Yemen.

Britain-based Save the Children issued a report that detailed conditions in the country, which has seen civil conflict for three years. The report cited rising food prices, the falling value of currency and fighting in a port city that receives aid supplies have put 1 million additional children are at risk.

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The total number of children now at risk of famine is 5.2 million, the analysis concluded. More than two-thirds of Yemen's population are food insecure.

The civil war in Yemen has caused delays in paying teachers and public servants salaries with some people receiving no wages for almost two years.

Food prices have climbed 68 percent since the war began in 2015, the report noted, while the Yemeni riyal has lost almost 180 percent of its value over the same period.

The price of fuel in Yemen has jumped 25 percent over the last 10 months and the cost of food has doubled in some areas in just a matter of days.

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"This war risks killing an entire generation of Yemen's children who face multiple threats, from bombs to hunger to preventable diseases like cholera," Save the Children International CEO Helle Thorning-Schmidt said. "All parties must agree a political solution to this conflict and give children hope of a brighter future. Let the immense suffering of children in Yemen end."

The Yemeni civil war began when Houthi rebels forced President Abdu Rabbo Mansour Hadi into exile in 2015. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition, which has had U.S., French and British logistical and intelligence support, has carried out airstrikes to reinstate the internationally recognized president.

The air raids have targeted weddings, hospitals, water and electricity plants, and have killed and injured thousands. In July, coalition jets carried out 277 raids on Yemen -- 43 percent of which targeted non-military sites, the report said.

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