After over six years of war, Yemen – the world’s worst humanitarian crisis according to the United Nations – continues to be a conflict hot spot.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions have been uprooted from their homes or have fled for their lives in search of safer refuge. The conflict has also put more than 20 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance, with many facing the risk of starvation due to famine-like conditions in the country.

On Wednesday, the UN Security Council called for “de-escalation” in Yemen to counter “the growing risk of large-scale famine” in the country. It also “condemned the recruitment and use of children, and sexual violence, in conflict.”

This appeal came a day after the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed concern that at least ten thousand children have been killed or maimed since the start of the civil war in Yemen. A figure that could be higher, since it only represents cases that the UN was able to verify from a mission to the north and south of Yemen.

Devastating toll of conflict on Yemeni children

“As is the case in conflict situations, children are always the first victims,” noted Philippe Duamelle, UNICEF’s representative in Yemen, in an interview with Vatican News' Xavier Sartre.

“They are directly affected by the conflict: they are killed, they are maimed by the fighting,” he said. Moreover, they are also affected indirectly, as “the protracted conflict situation has an impact on access for children to health services which is largely affected by the conflict” or other basic services, including child nutritional assistance and clean water.

The civil war in Yemen began in 2015 after Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa, prompting Saudi-led forces to intervene and start a campaign aimed at defeating the Houthis, with logistical and intelligence support from the US, UK and France.

According to UNICEF, the war in Yemen represents a convergence of four threats: a violent and protracted conflict, economic devastation, shattered services for every support system (health, nutrition, water and sanitation, protection and education), and a critically under-funded UN response.