Yemen situation 'catastrophic' as more than 300,000 malnourished children risk death
On Oct. 8, an airstrike by a Saudi-led coalition hit a funeral hall packed with mourners in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, killing at least 140 people.
The UN called the attack "outrageous" and, once again, issued a call for an international investigation into the deaths of civilians.
Almost 3,000 children have been killed or injured in the 18-month-old conflict, but young Yemenis also face another risk. The 370,000 severely-malnourished children puts them at 10 times greater risk of death than normally healthy children.
"The situation here is quite catastrophic," Rajat Madhok of Unicef Yemen tells The Current's guest host Piya Chattopadhyay.
Madhok is calling for the international community to turn its attention to stopping this conflict.
"If the conflict stops, the health system possibly would come back on its feet, people will start getting medical aid that they desperately need," says Madhok.
"Life would come back to being normal. That's what's needed right now."
Yemeni-Canadians are working to turn the world's attention to the plight of their relatives back home.
He tells Chattopadhay that Yeminis feel a sense of abandonment.
"No one is speaking for Yemen."
According to Al-Solaylee, the forgotten war in Yemen has been overshadowed by Syria in the headlines and now the world's supply of empathy is exhausted.
"I mean empathy is finite at the end of the day, and there's nothing left for people in Yemen."
Listen to the full conversation at the top of this web post.
This segment was produced by The Current's Karin Marley and John Chipman.