UNICEF says 12M Yemeni children need urgent help

At least 12 million children in war-battered Yemen need urgent humanitarian aid, the UN’s children agency said on Tuesday.

"Despite the historic gains made for children since the adoption of the Children's Convention on the Rights of 30 years by the UN General Assembly, Yemen remains among the worst countries for children in the world," said Sarah Bisolo, UNICEF’s representative in Yemen.

"The continuing bloody conflict and the result of the economic crisis have put basic social services systems across the country on the brink of collapse with a far-reaching consequences for children," Bisolo said.

"Those who are responsible -- including the Yemeni authorities -- have not fulfilled their promises and commitments toward children," she added.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.

Since then, tens of thousands of Yemenis, including numerous civilians, are believed to have been killed in the conflict, while another 14 million are at risk of starvation, according to the United Nations.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara.