Foreign
AN organisation, Save the Children, on Thursday reported that child casualties from landmines,
explosive devices and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) in Yemen will reach the highest rate in five years.
“Landmine and UXO child casualties increased from one every five days in 2018, to one every two days in 2022.
Meanwhile, overall direct child casualties from armed violence decreased,” the press release read.
Direct child casualties from armed violence, including air strikes, shelling and others, have overall decreased since 2018, while deaths caused by explosive devices have increased.
According to the report, this is due to years of conflict in Yemen and littering of the country with landmines and unexploded ordnance.’
The press release added that children in Yemen were at the risk of encountering landmines while playing and collecting water or firewood, and called for immediate action to protect children from the deadly weapons.
Yemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces and the Houthi rebels since 2014.
The situation was exacerbated in March 2015, when Saudi-led coalition, working in cooperation with the internationally-recognised Yemeni Government, began conducting air, land and sea operations against the Houthis.
The latter retaliated by attacking Saudi forces and firing missiles into Saudi Arabia.
In April 2022, a two-month ceasefire was declared in Yemen under the auspices of the UN and with the support of the parties to the conflict.
In early August 2022, the warring sides agreed to extend the truce until Oct. 2, 2022, to negotiate an expanded truce.
UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, announced on Oct. 2, 2022, that the Yemeni Government and the Houthi rebels failed to negotiate an extension of the truce.
The rebels refused to extend the deal, demanding, instead, that the government should pay officials in the Houthi-controlled areas, and threatened to hit oil infrastructure in Yemen and neighbouring countries unless their demand would be met. (Sputnik/NAN)
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Tags: Hans Grundberg Save the Children Unexploded Ordnance
