UNICEF: One-Third of Fighters in Yemen Are Children
Children make up a third of the combatants in Yemen's conflict with Saudi Arabia, says a U.N. official.Children make up a third of the combatants in Yemen’s conflict with Saudi Arabia, says a U.N. official.
Agence France-Presse reports via The Guardian:
“We are seeing children in battle, at checkpoints and unfortunately among [those] killed and injured,” Julien Harneis, Unicef’s representative in Yemen, said during a stop in Geneva.
He said staff of Unicef and its partners had estimated that around 30% of fighters in the armed groups were minors.
Saudi-led forces launched air strikes last month as Shia Houthi rebels advanced on Yemen’s main southern city of Aden after seizing the capital.
The president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, fled Aden for Saudi Arabia during the Houthi advance and the city has since seen heavy clashes between pro- and anti-government forces.
Read more here.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
Your support matters…Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.