Dozens of children were killed this week when Saudi-led forces launched an airstrike on a bus, UNICEF confirmed to DW on Friday.

The tragedy sent shockwaves across the globe, with the international community condemning what has been dubbed "the single biggest attack on children" since the conflict erupted in 2015.

Save the Children Germany has called for a "full, immediate and independent investigation into this and other recent attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, like schools and hospitals," the organization's chief executive Susanna Krüger told DW. "We have seen a worrying rise in these incidents and no action has been taken to hold the perpetrators to account."

'No place is safe for children'

But this isn't the first time children have taken the brunt of the war in Yemen. More than 6,000 children have been killed or injured since March 2015, when Saudi Arabia launched an aerial campaign targeting anti-government rebels, according to UN figures.

"It's one of the worst places to be a child," UNICEF spokeswoman Juliette Touma told DW. "It's probably safe to say that right now no place is safe for children in Yemen."

UNICEF says "nearly all children" in the country are in need of humanitarian assistance due to the conflict. Touma noted that a combination of factors play into it.

"The safety and protection of children has deteriorated because of continuous attacks, because of relentless violence against children," Touma said. "But it is also because the humanitarian situation in Yemen has become worse because of the war."

Children have also been recruited to fight in the war

Saudis 'not interested' in sparing civilians

In the wake of the deadly attack, some observers have asked whether Saudi Arabia and its coalition of pro-government forces are intentionally targeting children. Most analysts agree that the answer isn't straightforward.

Ali al-Absi, a Yemeni political scientist based in Berlin, told DW that while the Saudi-led coalition is not likely targeting children outright, it has a history of striking areas which carry the potential for high numbers of civilian casualties.

Read more: Yemeni journalists face death threats, kidnappings

"Saudi Arabia regards anything in Yemen as a legitimate target, including schools, markets, infrastructure, weddings and orphanages. Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia does not seem interested in sparing civilians the scourge of war," al-Absi said.

But the Yemeni scholar noted that atrocities have been committed against children on both sides of the conflict. "Even the Houthis besieged the city of Taiz and targeted civilians and children with sniper fire," he said.

No end in sight

More than 15,000 people have been killed and thousands more injured since 2015, when Saudi Arabia launched a military offensive against the Houthis and their allies aimed at supporting the internationally-recognized government of Yemen President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

Read more: Saudi Arabia vs. Iran: From 'twin pillars' to proxy wars

The US and other Western countries have given significant support to the Saudi-led coalition through logistics, intelligence and arms sales, actions which human rights organizations say have further fueled devastation in one of the poorest countries in the world.

Yemen: An ever-worsening crisis War: The 'root cause' of Yemen's disasters The UN has identified conflict as the "root cause" of Yemen's crises. Tens of thousands of people have been killed since the war erupted in 2014, when Shiite Houthi rebels launched a campaign to capture the capital, Sanaa. In March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition launched a deadly campaign against the rebels, one that has been widely criticized by human rights groups for its high civilian death toll.

Yemen: An ever-worsening crisis Fighting keeps food from the famished The conflict has prevented humanitarian aid from reaching large parts of the civilian population, resulting in more than two-thirds of the country's 28 million people being classified as "food insecure." Nearly 3 million children and pregnant or nursing women are acutely malnourished, according to the UN World Food Program.

Yemen: An ever-worsening crisis Displacement: Converging crises More than 3 million people have been displaced by conflict, including marginalized communities such as the "Muhammasheen," a minority tribe that originally migrated from Africa. Despite the civil war, many flee conflict in Somalia and head to Yemen, marking the convergence of two major migration crises in the Middle East nation. Yemen hosts around 250,000 Somali refugees, according to UNHCR.

Yemen: An ever-worsening crisis Cholera: A deadly epidemic The number of suspected cholera cases has exceeded more than 2 million and least 3,700 people have died from the waterborne bacterial infection in Yemen since October 2019, said the WHO. Although cholera can be easily treated, it can kill within hours when untreated.

Yemen: An ever-worsening crisis Unsuspecting victims of the'war on terror' In Yemen, violence goes beyond civil conflict: It is considered a strategic front in the war on terrorism. The country serves as the operational base for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, dubbed the "most dangerous" terrorist group before the rise of the "Islamic State." The US routinely uses drones to target al-Qaida leadership. However, civilians have often been killed in the operations.

Yemen: An ever-worsening crisis Children's fate: Future marred by tragedy In a country paralyzed by conflict, children are one of the most at-risk groups in Yemen. More than 12 million children require humanitarian aid, according to the UN humanitarian coordination agency. The country's education system is "on the brink of collapse," while children are dying of "preventable causes like malnutrition, diarrhea and respiratory tract infections," according to the agency.

Yemen: An ever-worsening crisis Peace: An elusive future Despite several attempts at UN-backed peace talks, the conflict continues to rage on. Saudi Arabia has vowed to continue supporting the internationally recognized government of Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. On the other hand, Houthi rebels have demanded the formation of a unity government in order to move forward on a political solution. A peace deal, however, remains elusive. Author: Lewis Sanders IV



Iran, meanwhile, has reportedly provided support to Houthi rebels.

Hady Amr, a former senior diplomat for the Obama administration, told DW that while external influence can help ease the conflict, the US "cannot have an effective role in brokering a solution" since it has "clearly taken sides." He instead pointed to Brussels for a way forward.

"After three years of heavy fighting in Yemen, the European Union and its member states are perhaps in the best position to stop the fighting, as the EU has good enough relations with all sides in the conflict to make a difference," Amr told DW.

An EU Commission spokesperson told DW that besides providing more than €438 million ($500 million) in humanitarian assistance since 2015, "we have also been working on initiatives on the diplomatic and political sides."

Read more: Why are EU countries reluctant to intervene in Yemen's war?

'Bring the war to an end'

For children's rights advocates, more needs to be done to end hostilities against children and, more generally, against civilian populations.

"There is no military solution to this conflict," said Save the Children's Krüger. "Only a political solution can bring the war to an end and reinstate peace in Yemen."

"Until the war finally comes to an end, we will continue to push forward with our humanitarian work and the delivery of humanitarian assistance," said UNICEF's Touma.

Going to school in wartime Lessons continue despite destruction These girls are attending a class at their school in the Yemeni port city of Hedeidah despite the fact that a wall has been almost completely taken out by a Saudi-led air strike. The country has been enmeshed in a bloody civil war for three years now, and the conflict shows no sign of ending. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition fighting Iran-backed Houthi rebels since 2015.

Going to school in wartime Learning in a barn Syria is another country in the Middle East wracked by civil conflict, with millions displaced and hundreds of thousands killed. Some of the displaced children are seen here being taught in a barn for lack of school buildings in the rebel-held area of Daraa in southern Syria. Chairs are also in short supply, meaning several of the children have been forced to sit on stones instead.

Going to school in wartime Failed deal Although Iran and Russia, which both back the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, made a deal with rebel backer Turkey to make Eastern Ghouta a "de-escalation zone" from July, the agreement has been repeatedly violated. This school in the Eastern Ghouta village of Hamouria did not escape damage, and humanitarian workers have warned of a dire situation inside the enclave.

Going to school in wartime Makeshift school Syrian children are seen here attending classes in improvised conditions in a rebel-held area of the southern city of Daraa. Although many countries are determined that children in Syria should not become a "lost generation" for lack of schooling, the war is making it difficult and sometimes impossible for lessons to continue.

Going to school in wartime Return to normality amid signs of war This wall at a school in the Syrian village of Hazima, north of Raqqa, is full of bullet holes from the war. The extremist group "Islamic State" closed the school and many others in northern Syria when it took over the region in 2014. Now it has been driven out, children can go back to learning normal subjects instead of the extremist propaganda taught by the hardline Islamists.

Going to school in wartime Games amid ruins "Where do the children play?" British singer Yusuf Islam, commonly known by his former stage name of Cat Stevens, once asked in a song. These children have found their playground in this damaged school in al-Saflaniyeh in eastern Aleppo province. But one can only wish they had nicer, and safer, surroundings for their games. Author: Timothy Jones



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