Some 4.5 million children are not attending school in Yemen, where Government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, and Houthi rebels have been at war for a decade.

Peter Hawkins, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Yemen, said the “catastrophic situation” is a “time bomb” as the country could possibly have a generation of citizens who are unable to read and write. 

He told UN News’s Khaled Mohamed that UNICEF has been working to rehabilitate damaged schools and to support teachers and children in returning to the classroom, especially girls, though he acknowledged it is not enough. 

But first, Mr. Hawkins refuted recent “baseless” Houthi allegations that UN agencies and partners have been colluding to destroy Yemen’s education system.