One year after the Stockholm agreement, which should have brought stability to Hodeidah and Taiz in Yemen, children there are still victims of conflict

Hodeidah and Taiz are the two deadliest areas for children in Yemen, Save the Children said today, one year after the signing of the Stockholm agreement which should have brought stability to these hotspots.

Between January and October 2019, 33 children have been killed or injured[i] every month in the western port city of Hodeidah and Taiz in the southwest, despite the signing of the Stockholm agreement on December 13 2018 aimed at stopping the fighting in the Red Sea area. Nationwide, almost half the children who died as a direct result of the conflict in Yemen, were killed in Hodeidah and Taiz.[ii]

Although there was a reduction in the number of casualties compared to 2018, between January and October 2019 some 56 children were killed and 170 injured as a direct result of fighting in Hodeidah. In Taiz, child fatalities have more than doubled since the agreement[iii]. Parties committed to opening up a humanitarian corridor in Taiz so families can safely leave and humanitarian support can get in, but so far this has not materialized.

Doctor Mariam Aldogani, Save the Children field manager for Hodeidah, said: "The Stockholm Agreement brought a glimmer of hope to civilians in the area, but the fighting is far from over. Every day we receive wounded children in Save the Children supported hospitals needing our care. In 2019 our team has given medical care to more than 500 children who have been caught up in this conflict, some with life threatening injuries.

"At one point this year we supported six children from two families - it was sad, some of the children had broken legs and shrapnel wounds all over their bodies. I cannot forget the youngest girl, just three-year-old, with burns all over her hands. We need to stop this war on children."