335 Yemeni children killed in past year: Oxfam

By Ali Oweida

SANAA (AA) - A total of 335 Yemeni children have been killed in Yemen in the past year, Oxfam said Wednesday.

The international humanitarian group said the "children have been killed by violent attacks including airstrikes, mines and shelling since 9 August 2018," and that almost 600 have been injured during that time.

On Aug. 9, a Saudi-led airstrike targeted a bus carrying children in Yemen’s northwestern Saada province. At least 50 people, including 41 children, were killed and dozens of others injured.

"Almost one child a day has been killed in the year since and violence remains a daily threat for Yemenis, alongside the struggle against hunger and disease," said Muhsin Siddiquey, Oxfam’s Yemeni chief.

He stressed the need for an urgent cease-fire.

"All parties to the conflict and those with influence over them should do all in their power to end this deadly war now,” Siddiquey added.

Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

The conflict escalated the following year when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies launched a massive air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi gains and supported the country’s pro-Saudi government.

More than 70,000 people have been killed in the conflict since 2016, according to UN estimates.