More than one in four children screened by UNICEF in accessible areas of Yemen in recent weeks were found to be acutely malnourished, highlighting the worsening impact of conflict on children's access to food, healthcare and treatment.

Fighting in Yemen is disrupting access to healthcare and nutrition treatment centres and contributing to a visible increase in acute malnutrition among children, according to UNICEF.

Akhil Iyer, UNICEF's representative in Yemen, told reporters at the Palais des Nations in Geneva that hunger and malnutrition are affecting an increasing number of children as violence escalates across the country.

Speaking by videolink from Aden, Iyer said approximately 130,000 people had been displaced in Yemen over the previous three weeks, including around 71,000 children.

Most of those displaced were uprooted from or within Taiz governorate in southwestern Yemen.

More than a quarter of screened children were acutely malnourished

UNICEF mobile teams screened nearly 2,900 children in accessible areas of Yemen in recent weeks.

More than one quarter of those children were acutely malnourished, according to UNICEF. Around 200 children were classified as suffering from severe acute malnutrition, the most serious category.

The agency stressed that the figures represent only a snapshot of the situation because humanitarian teams cannot reach all areas of the country.

UNICEF estimates that approximately 2.2 million children under the age of five in Yemen are projected to experience acute malnutrition in 2026, including more than half a million children expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition.

"Conflict drives hunger"

Iyer said the relationship between conflict and hunger was particularly damaging for children.

"Conflict drives hunger, and hunger makes children more vulnerable to conflict," he said.

Displacement further compounds the problem by disrupting children's access to food, healthcare, nutrition treatment, education and other essential services.

At least 15 children killed since early September

UNICEF has verified that at least 15 children have been killed and 14 injured in the conflict since early September. Three children are also reported to remain missing.

Iyer said children were paying an increasingly heavy price as the conflict intensified, while families were left dealing with grief, fear and uncertainty.

The consequences of the conflict extend beyond direct injuries and deaths, with children facing increased risks of malnutrition, interrupted healthcare and displacement.

243 schools closed or suspended classes

Education has also been severely disrupted.

According to UNICEF, 243 schools have closed or suspended classes during the past three weeks, affecting nearly 140,000 students.

The simultaneous disruption of healthcare, nutrition services and education is increasing concerns about the long-term consequences of the conflict for Yemen's children.

Yemen's humanitarian crisis deepens

Yemen's civil war between Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-backed Houthis had largely remained frozen under a 2022 truce, but fighting has intensified again this year.

In recent weeks, the Houthis have reportedly made territorial advances against Yemen's internationally recognized government forces and expanded their control over strategic areas along the Red Sea coast.

The escalation has displaced tens of thousands of people, with some fleeing across the Red Sea toward Africa.

The conflict is also complicating humanitarian access to vulnerable populations, including children who require urgent nutrition treatment and medical care.

UNICEF calls for protection of children

UNICEF has called on all parties to protect children, civilians and civilian infrastructure, respect international humanitarian law and ensure safe and unimpeded humanitarian access.

The agency warned that children should not be forced to bear the consequences of a conflict to which they should never have been exposed.

The situation in Yemen demonstrates how armed conflict can affect child health far beyond direct casualties. Malnutrition, disrupted healthcare, displacement and interruption of education can create long-term consequences for children's physical development, health and wellbeing.