Shocking images have laid bare the horrific realities of the civil war in Yemen, which has now been raging for almost four years.

Many of the severely malnourished children are younger than the war itself, and have never known anything other than conflict.

More than 100,000 people are estimated to have be killed and about three million displaced due to the fighting between the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

Many of the severely malnourished children are younger than the civil war in Yemen itself, and have never known anything other than conflict (Picture: Reuters)

More than 100,000 people are estimated to have be killed and about three million displaced due to the fighting (Picture: Reuters)

It is estimated that around 1.8 million children are malnourished (Picture: Reuters)

An estimated 500,000 children may not see their next birthday as a result of the war the UN children’s fund has described as a ‘living hell’ for minors.




The UN has warned that international aid agencies are losing the fight against famine in Yemen, where 3.5 million people may soon be added to the eight million Yemenis already facing starvation – more than half of them children.

Mahmud Ali Hassan, director of Nasr Hospital, does not mince words. Life for his patients, he says, is ‘pure misery’.

‘We need help. We need real help.’

A malnourished boy lies on a bed in a malnutrition treatment centre at the al-Sabeen hospital in Sanaa (Picture: Reuters)

An estimated 500,000 children may not see their next birthday as a result of the war the UN children’s fund has described as a ‘living hell’ for minors (Picture: Reuters)

Mahmud Ali Hassan, director of Nasr Hospital, does not mince words. Life for his patients, he says, is ‘pure misery’ (Picture: Reuters)

South of rebel-held Sanaa and north of the government bastion of Aden, Daleh is, in the words of its residents, a forgotten city.

The war between Yemen’s government, backed by a Saudi-led regional military coalition, and Huthi rebels linked to Iran has triggered what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

Another 2,200 have died of cholera, according to the World Health Organization, nearly one-third of them under the age of five.

In government-held Daleh, medics at Nasr Hospital are desperately looking for ways to treat patients – most of whom have not yet learned to read, tie their shoelaces or even walk – as supplies dwindle and hunger spreads.

The war between Yemen’s government, backed by a Saudi-led regional military coalition, and Huthi rebels linked to Iran has triggered what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis (Picture: Getty)

Another 2,200 have died of cholera, according to the World Health Organization, nearly one-third of them under the age of five (Picture: Getty)

Food and medical supplies are desperately needed (Picture: Getty)

Children are dying every day from starvation (Picture: EPA)

A sign outside Nasr Hospital reads ‘funded by the World Health Organization’.

The hospital is a lifeline for three provinces with a combined population of more than 1.5 million.

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‘We take cases from Daleh as well as Ibb and Lahaj,’ Hassan said.

‘Most cases we receive are malnourished children. We get three to four cases a day. The ward is always full. It’s full right now.

‘We are in desperate need of medical supplies.

‘We need orthopaedic equipment, and everyone says they’re trying – the government coalition and other sides – and yet we haven’t gotten supplies yet.’

In addition to the war, the rising cost of living in Yemen the depreciation of the local currency and blockades have left millions unable to feed themselves and their children (Picture: EPA)

A bag of flour is 18,000 riyals (£55), making feeding a family almost impossible (Picture: EPA)

One doctor says he says at least four children die on his watch from preventable causes (Picture: AFP/Getty)

Dr. Ayman Shayef, head of the emergency room at Nasr hospital, says three to four children die under his watch every week of preventable causes, mainly linked to neo-natal care.

‘We have serious issues with the total absence of pre-natal care and the inability to open an obstetrics department,’ Shayef said.

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‘We’ve also seen a rapid rise in malnutrition cases.

‘Daleh is an orphaned province. We need help. We need support for pre-natal care, malnutrition.’

In addition to the war, the rising cost of living in Yemen – long the most impoverished country in the Arab world – the depreciation of the local currency and blockades have left millions unable to feed themselves and their children.



Katba Ahmed made the trip to Nasr to help a close friend care for her sick child.

‘A bag of flour is 18,000 riyals (£55). And with four people at home, how long do you think that’s going to last, with breakfast, lunch and dinner?’ Katba said.

And the food baskets sent in by international organisations, Katba says, are nowhere to be seen in her neighbourhood in Hajja province.

‘Where do they go? Why don’t we get any baskets?’ she says. ‘Why should we be deprived? Why should we be humiliated?’

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