At least 62 children have been killed and 30 injured in Yemen over the past week, the UN children's agency UNICEF said Tuesday.
"Children are in desperate need of protection, and all parties to the conflict should do all in their power to keep children safe," said UNICEF's representative for Yemen, Julien Harneis.
Saudi Arabian-led forces have launched air strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen who have engaged in a conflict over power with Arab-and internationally-recognized president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
The Arab coalition's campaign drew criticism from rights groups for failing to ensure that there were no civilian casualties from the air strikes.
"There is growing evidence that the Saudi Arabian-led military coalition is failing to take precautions to prevent civilian deaths amid ongoing airstrikes on sites around Yemen, as it confirmed that at least six civilians, including four children, were among 14 people who burned to death in further strikes early this morning", Amnesty International said in a report on Tuesday.
"It is becoming increasingly apparent that the Saudi Arabian-led coalition is turning a blind eye to civilian deaths and suffering caused by its military intervention,” said Said Boumedouha, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Program.
