UNICEF: 24 Million Children at Risk in Mideast Conflicts
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Conflicts across the Middle East and North Africa are putting over 24 million children at risk, according to alarming new research by the UN Children's Fund.
"Beyond the bombs, bullets and explosions, countless children are dying in silence from diseases that could easily be prevented and treated," said Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, AP reported.
In Yemen, the Saudi aggression against the impoverished Arab country has pushed it "to the brink of famine." Cholera has broken out in most of the country and UNICEF says two-thirds of the Yemeni population use unsafe water.
More than two million children live under siege in Syria or in areas where aid groups struggle to reach. Attacks on health facilities are commonplace, too.
Libya is second only to Syria on that front, with 20 attacks on health facilities in the past year. UNICEF warned that without new funding, over 1.3 million Libyan children won't be vaccinated against measles or rubella.
UNICEF also warned about power cuts and reduced water supplies in the Gaza Strip, where one million Palestinian children are in need of assistance. The report also says 8,000 cases of acute diarrhea have been recorded in conflict zones in Sudan.
