Under Fire: Yemeni Children Risk Snipers and Mortars Just to Reach the Classroom

In a rare dispatch from Taiz, Yemen, the BBC World Service has documented the harrowing daily reality for children who must brave sniper fire and mortar shelling to attend school. The report, based on interviews with students, teachers, and families, reveals that the front line runs perilously close to educational facilities, turning the simple act of going to class into a life-threatening gamble.

Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, has been a focal point of the country's civil war since 2015, with Houthi forces besieging the city and government-aligned factions holding the center. According to UN figures, over 10,000 children have been killed or maimed in Yemen since the conflict began, and more than 2 million children are out of school. The BBC's access, granted after years of restricted reporting, provides a rare glimpse into the resilience of communities determined to educate their young despite the carnage. One teacher told the BBC that classrooms often empty when shelling intensifies, but students return as soon as the barrage pauses.

The report underscores the urgent need for international attention to Yemen's forgotten front lines, where a stalled peace process has left civilians trapped in a cycle of violence. Humanitarian organizations warn that without a sustained ceasefire and increased funding, an entire generation of Yemeni children will be lost to war. The BBC's findings are likely to intensify calls for warring parties to protect schools and allow unimpeded humanitarian access, as global attention remains fixed on other crises.