Yemeni Kids: A Global Tragedy is in Making

By Shahzad Masood Roomi

In ongoing conflict in Yemen, local kids have emerged the most adversely affected faction of the Yemeni society. So far, UNICEF has confirmed the death of 77 children and 44 others have been reported injured since March 26. According to UNICEF,  these numbers are only those where the ffatalities have been confirmed but the true toll was likely far higher.But this is the obvious aspect of this crisis, the real tragedy of Yemeni kids is far worst than this.

It is said that killing other human beings are difficult only for the first time. Once committed, this heinous crime takes away the humanity of the perpetrator turning him into something complete different in very negative sense i.e. a murderer, terrorist, serial-killer etc.

In Yemen, a similar tragedy is in making on a grand scale.According to UN officials, children make up a third of fighters in the armed groups in conflict-wracked Yemen. “We are seeing children in battle, at checkpoints and unfortunately among [those] killed and injured,” Julien Harneis, Unicef’s representative in Yemen, told AFP during a stopover in Geneva. It is usually argued that this young lot with arms is manifestation of the tribal culture but today's modern wars are not tribal fu   a 10 years old "fighter" can never know what he is fighting for when the conflict is too large and complex for him to comprehend. Generations of kids were turned into ruthless fighters in Africa and now the entire continent is in flames. Northern Africa (Egypt, Libya), Western Africa (Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria), Horn of Africa (Somalia), even the islands like Comoros witnessed the worst violence. The Collapse of governments in these region might be a reason for these societies to disintegrate but it is unfathomable  that if it is known that today, in Yemen, every third fighter is an under age child, why there is no rush for a decisive push for ceasefire or UNSC intervention like it has done in many parts of Africa? 

Answer is not very difficult considering the dynamics of Real Politics which are controlling or at least manipulating this local conflict. This unfortunate generation of Yemeni kids is just the victim of this brutal vying of national interests. Evidently, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is waiting for any of its permanent member to move a resolution to put  this unfolding tragedy in Yemen to an end but unfortunately, it seems that this conflict either does not affect their interests (as yet) or they are part of this conflict and want it to continue whatever the cost may be. Whatever might be the case, this lost generation of Yemeni kids would eventually seek other ventures in other parts of the world.