At least 11 civilians including 4 children were killed yesterday, 29 November, after artillery shells hit houses in the south of Hodeida city in Yemen.
The deadly attack comes just two weeks before the second anniversary of the Stockholm agreement that was meant to put an end to the violence in the cities of Hodeida and Taiz, which have been the hardest hit by the war.
Despite the ceasefire agreed for the port city, Hodeida is witnessing the highest level of direct civilian impact of any governorate. In just the first nine months of this year the governorate of Hodeida saw 620 civilian casualties[i][i].
Save the Children’s Yemen Country Director, Xavier Joubert, said:
“It’s appalling to witness more and more children losing their lives in their own houses, where they supposed to feel safe, play and study. Today’s attack comes just two weeks before the second anniversary of Stockholm agreement which seemed to be a political breakthrough in the peace process. Yesterday’s loss of four children proves that no progress has been made in the effort for sustainable peace.
“World leaders owe Yemeni children an apology. All parties to the conflict, including international powers fuelling this crisis, must do anything possible in order to ensure that children and their families are protected. There is no other way but to respect the ceasefire and return to the negotiating table.”
ENDS
[ii][i] Data from Civilian Impact Monitoring Project – https://civilianimpactmonitoring.org/onewebmedia/CIMP%20Quarterly%20Report_2020_Q3.pdf
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