Charities call for urgent action over famine risk HUNGRY, SICK, SCARED. THIS IS A COUNTRY OF DYING CHILDREN
370,000 KIDS FACE STARVATION IN WAR-TORN YEMEN
Billy Briggs
As the nation’s war escalates, harrowing footage obtained by BBC Arabic shows severely malnourished children close to death.
They include an eight- year- old boy cal led Salim who was f i lmed emaciated and screaming in pain at a hospital.
Yemen’s war has left one of the world’s poorest countries on the brink of famine, with 80 per cent of its total population of 26million in need of humanitarian aid.
The UN estimate that 96,600 children under five are at risk of starvation in the Red Sea port city Hudaydah and its surrounding province.
The Arab coalition – supported and armed by the UK – are fighting Houthi rebels who are battling forces loyal to the exiled Yemeni president.
Earlier this month, the UN estimated that 10,000 people have been killed since the war started, describing the situation as “tragic”.
Save The Children said mothers are watching their children die and the country’s health system is on the edge of collapse.
Spokeswoman Alice Klein said: “A third of all children under five are acutely malnourished – around 1.3million youngsters – and, with no end to the conf lict in sight, these numbers are likely to get worse.
“Even when families can get their poorly children to the few health facilities still functioning, there aren’t enough medical supplies or electricity to run life- saving incubators and machines.”
As the violence continuedd last week, at least 25 people were ki l led and 70 others wounded in a coalition air strike in Hudaydah.
The raid on Wednesday y targeted a presidential l palace used by Houthi rebels s but missiles hit neighbouringg homes.
The UK Government have ve supplied Saudi Arabia with th Paveway IV missiles made by US arms firm Raytheon at their factory in Fife.
But UK ministers have been strongly condemned for refusing to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia amid allegations of atrocities by coalition warplanes.
Save The Children called on the UK Government to back a UN- led investigation into claims of war crimes and to stop selling arms to the warring parties. The charity were backed by Human Rightsg Watch and Amnesty y International, who were among 11 organisations who sent a petition to the UN Human Rights Council.
The Foreign Office said it was first important that Saudi Arabia “conducts thorough and conclusive investigations into incidents where it is alleged that international humanitarian law has been breached”.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Mail was praised af ter two Westminster committees called for a suspension of arms sales to Saudi Arabia.
The damning report followed an inquiry by MPs into the use of UK arms in Yemen.
Both the International Development Committee and the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee said no new arms export licences should be issued until the allegations are fully investigated.
The UK Government are facing a judicial review into arms sales following a legal challenge by Campaign Against Arms Trade. Andrew Smith, of CAAT, said: “The reason so many atrocities have come to light is not bbecause of any transparency on the part of the UK or Saudi governments, it is because of the good work of NGOs on the ground and newspapersne like the Sunday Mail,Ma which has been instrumentalme in drawing attention to the humanitarian catastrophe.” Th The SNP’s Douglas Chapman said said: “Thanks to pressure from the Sunday Mail and other cam campaigners such as Oxfam, Amn Amnesty International and Safer Worl World, two House of Commons comm committees have supported an arms bban to Saudi Arabia.”