SANAA, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- An estimated 85,000 children under the age of five may have died from extreme hunger since the outbreak of Yemen's civil war, according to data provided by a non-governmental organization (NGO).
Approximately 84,701 children with severe acute malnutrition may have died between April 2015 and October 2018, Save the Children said in a press release published Tuesday.
"We are horrified that some 85,000 children in Yemen may have died because of extreme hunger since the war began. For every child killed by bombs and bullets, dozens are starving to death and it's entirely preventable," said Tamer Kirolos, Save the Children's country director in Yemen.
"In the past few weeks there have been hundreds of airstrikes in and around Hodeidah, endangering the lives of an estimated 150,000 children still trapped in the city. Save the Children is calling for an immediate end to the fighting so no more lives are lost," Kirolos added.
About 14 million Yemeni people, half of the country's population, are facing pre-famine conditions, meaning they are entirely reliant on external aid for survival, UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock briefed the Security Council last month.
The military conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of the capital of Sanaa by the Houthi rebels, which forced Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile. A Saudi-led coalition allied with the government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.
However, the war-torn country is expected to see a new round of peace talks to terminate the conflicts.
U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Wednesday that the peace talks were likely to take place in early December in Sweden.
