Yemen escalation displaces more than 57,000 children: UNICEF
UNICEF reports over 57,000 children displaced in Yemen amid renewed fighting, worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis affecting millions of children.
Renewed violence in Yemen has displaced more than 57,000 children in just two weeks, compounding a decade-long crisis where over 12 million children rely on aid. UNICEF warns that the escalation has shattered fragile stability for many, with families fleeing homes across Taiz, Hudaydah, and Marib governorates. The fighting has disrupted critical services, including healthcare and education, with 26 health facilities and 243 schools affected, impacting over 137,000 students.
Since early September, at least nine children have been killed and 12 injured in an attack on a coastal road, while three remain missing. The violence has also severed access to essential services, leaving 17.8 million people without adequate healthcare, water, or sanitation. UNICEF reports that only 60% of health facilities remain fully functional amid the crisis.
UNICEF has expanded emergency responses to reach 231,000 people, deploying mobile health teams and distributing hygiene kits and water supplies in Taiz and Marib. Child protection teams are providing psychosocial care and raising awareness about unexploded ordnance dangers, while emergency water and sanitation teams aim to assist over 200,000 people with repairs and safe supplies.
The agency is also supporting Yemeni families who fled to Djibouti after crossing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, with over 2,000 arrivals, including many children. UNICEF reiterates that 12.2 million children in Yemen needed aid even before this escalation, with 2.2 million under-fives acutely malnourished and 3.2 million school-age children out of school.