Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik spoke with the Executive Director for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Catherine Russel about the situation of children in the country, affected by eight years of war, the Saba news agency reported.

During a meeting, the parties discussed coordination between the government and UNICEF regarding emergency cases, rapid response and organization, aimed at improving child protection, the source said.

In this regard, Abdulmalik stressed the importance of improving the partnership between the Executive and UNICEF.

The prime minister also denounced the violations committed by the Houthi militia, which includes recruiting children as soldiers.

On the other hand, Russel explained that the reason for her visit was to inspect the general situation regarding children and to mobilize international financial support for Yemen. She also criticized the conflict and warned about the serious consequences it has for children.

Adele Khodr, UNICEF’s regional representative, informed recently that almost 11,000 children have died or were wounded due to the war.

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated the number of minors suffering from acute malnutrition at 500,000. Following the same theme, the Committee of the International Red Cross, forecasts that over 20 million Yemenis, out of a population of 31 million, lack access to basic medical care and 16.2 million are threatened by the lack of food.