2 children killed, 5 others injured in Yemen’s Marib

By Aziz al-Ahmadi

SANAA, Yemen (AA) – Two Yemeni children were killed and five others injured in the ongoing fighting in the central Marib province, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said.

"This is the highest number of children reported killed and injured in the area in months of heavy fighting in and around the city," UNICEF said in a statement.

Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani accused the Houthi rebel group of firing three ballistic missiles on a residential area north of Marib city.

"Attacks on civilians, including children, are a violation of international humanitarian law," UNICEF said, going on to call on the fighting parties "to protect children."

The UN agency also noted that since 2015, "nearly 10,000 children were confirmed killed or injured" in Yemen.

So far, there was no comment from the Houthi group on the incident.
Since February, Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have stepped up attacks to take control of the oil-rich Marib province, one of the most important strongholds of the Yemeni government and home to the headquarters of Yemen’s Defense Ministry.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises with 233,000 people killed, nearly 80% or about 30 million needing humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara