♪ in the heart of yemen, a

this is a special edition of "nightline" crisis in yemen. ian panel reporting. >> in a desperate area,small hungry children,this young boy sticks out, tired fragile body

cradled in her father's arms. salvation is taking its toll. she is so weak. she can't even stand long enough for medics to get her measurements. at 14 months old the little girl weighs just 13 pounds. >> the doctor essentially is measuring the circumference of the top of her arm, around what is her bicep. it's just crossed into the red, which is severely malo alnouris. >> we come to yemen. in the worst humanitarian crisis on earth from a bloody civil war. on the ground it's hard to say which side is winning but with each day that passes it becomes clearer whose losing.

just getting into yemen is a journey. access for foreign journalists is restricted but we have come to investigate man made tragedy some of the world's most powerful nation would like you not to see. our guide on this journey is international rescue committee, american charity yi that serves as a life line for countless communities here. every week their truck inches through these mountains. for villages like this this truck is difference between life and death. >> when you came down you looks worried about her. [ speaking foreign language ]. >> he tells us he's afraid not just for his baby girl but also her five broerthers and sisters all under weight, all hungry. >> you look very thin what are

you giving your children and eating yourselves? [ speaking foreign language ]. >> makes her very agitated? how's it affect her? [ speaking foreign language ]. >> in november last year experts warned that 150,000 malnourished children could die in the coming months unless aide is allowed into yemen unrestricted. months later those restrictions are still in place. aide workers take down details of the children to see who is at severe risk and there's any improvement. this family sent home with pack of protein packs, it's only help until the team is back next week. >> they are living off maybe one

meal a day. >> kelly rime is with the irc, in these parts it's the only health care on offer s of there are no clinics, no doctors, no one else is helping. >> we will notice that the children once put in the nenutr program are back after six weeks. >> here in yemen the u.n. says 22 million people are in need of assistance three-quarters of the the ire population. even worse 8 million are now on the brink of starvation. the civil war here is fueled by foreigners. battle lines constantly being redrawn. on one side government forces backed by saudi arabia and the e emeri trks s by other the backed

by iran. less than yemenpeople and more about who has control of the whole region and reaping the rewards al qaeda and isis. civilians the are being kill bid both sides but only one air force. saudi fighter jets struck civilians repeatedly. the saudis get help from american intelligence refuel and bombs. now there's growing resistance in washington to the civilian deaths and american's role in yemen. >> the united states involvement in yemen is unconstitutional and unauthorized. >> but the saudi war continues with american support and weapons. >> it's a great honor to have the crown prince. >> the crown prince last week got the okay from the trump administration to buy a billion dollars of u.s. arms more than

6500 missiles. >> from wisconsin wisniewski or louisiana why should i care about what's going on here? >> fundamentally because we're all people. kids are kids. parents are parents. we're all majoring same decisions. making same decisions want the same things. our behavior is a stain on american reputation. we're not living up to our core principles as americans. >> you can see how hungry he is. and how he's enjoying the protein pack provided by the rescue community. there was a boat load of this plum y nut due to dock in yemen but the saudi-led commission stopped them it coming in at port saying they could be used by fighters instead. some allowed in is just a trickle what is needed forcing parents to make heart breaking

choices. >> has anyone had to make a decision between medicine and food for thur children? [ speaking foreign language ]. >> the scars of war blight this country. this is the southern city of aiden where the rebel advance was finally stopped, today the front lines are two hours away but that doesn't mean it's safe here. we got wear access to yemeni soldiers on the ground, many war veterans patrolling streets that feel edgy, in a country where differences are settled not through politics but the barrel of the gun. >> three years ago this street was over run by hugy rebels and you can see the intensity of the battle. this was one of the command

centers. today main threat is from al qaeda and isis and these troops in last few days alone have been attackd. >> so people keep an eye out for friend and foe. >> who you would you describe the security situation? on? >> commander has a high risk job. he says there's been six attempts on his life by opponents and terrorists. [ speaking foreign language ]. >> he tries to down play the threat but the commanders war hardened fighters, the men at the check points tell us they are worried about the rising tide of insurgents. >> violence has forced more than three million yemeni from their

home since 2015 start of the war. many ending up in squalor camps like this. young and old struggle in the dirt and the dust. >> many families find the violence has followed them. ♪ eight-year-old saha is a living miracle shot right here in the camp and the bullet is still lodged in the back of her necn. >> you can see on her neck. don't want to touch it too hard. it hurts right now as it moves around a little. >> can you remember anything that happened? [ speaking foreign language ]. >> her dad says the bullet is so close to her spine doctors won't risk taking it out.

>> does it hurt sometimes? >> when it hurts how does it feel? >> her father says she was hit in a gun battle between al qaeda and locate am fighters. we're told violence like this is common despite all of the children living here. a threat we saw firsthand. a we went through the desert two men came to check us out, identified as al qaeda we were told to leave immediately. when we come back the doctors risking their lives to save others. ♪ beacon of light a midst darkness.

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this special edition of "nightline," crisis in yemen, continues. >> yemen, one of the most dangerous places on earth. a country consumed by civil war. >> as you can see there's lots of security out on the street. our advice was to goforth come out the back of the hotel and go to the car and leave. we have a lot of closed protection. >> nowhere is truly safe. >> not even the hospitals.

this is one of the only public hospitals in the country still running. patients travel hundreds of miles to get here. inside shattered windows in waiting rooms, bullet holes in the walls and armed guards a reminder not long ago this hospital was right on the front line of the war. the danger for civilians in yemen isn't just from fighters on the ground but bombs from above. hitting residential neighborhoods, hospitals and even funerals. the saudi air sport accused of bombing indiscriminately and human rights says these attacks should be investigated as war crimes and the u.s. in saudi could make americans complicit in those war crimes too. on the ground hospitals like the

ones we're visiting are trying to cope with lack of resources in the midst of a war. the department hospital manager stayed here when the fighting started, barely escaping when the rebels came and she was one of the first to come back. >> even though your life is at risk you carry on working. >> it's my responsibility because we're doctors, who we help is matter, for this i must put my fear away and help this. >> doctor is also an obgyn consultant who maternity ward and it's packed. >> if you didn't have this facility would there be more deaths the. >> some case, they die. because we can't help.

>> and the only help she's get something from foreign non-profit like international rescue committee. >> this from the irc. >> most of it from american donations but it is still far from enough. >> come have a look at this. >> much of the hos remains off limits. >> what happened here? was damaged during the war because of the fighting. and it was bombed. >> yes. >> can we go through. >> dozens of rooms are unused. >> these are supposed to be hospital wards, there's stretcher here, all of these facilities closed for years and department of health nowhere to be seen. >> doctors are desperate for equipment, food and funding, losing thousands of patients to a man-made tragedy. doctors say they are treeating

diseases that yemen hasn't seen in hundreds of years. >> diseases like colora and dysteria and other diseases. >> many can't even reach the hospital because of fighting or lack of money. [ speaking foreign language ]. that's just two pounds. ziad is now twelve months old. [ speaking foreign language ]. [ speaking foreign language ]. [ baby crying ]. >> it's a scene repeated across yemen. where medics struggle with what little they have to care for the weakest and just when it feels there's no hope, that the suffering here is overwhelming, we witness this.

[ baby crying ]. >> newest addition to yemen. >> the doctors and nurses, for them this is a rare good thing. >> this is roa's first child. a moment every parent remembers well. >> she's a beautiful baby. >> yeah congratulations. >> she's beautiful. >> my new baby. >> your first baby? >> yes, yes, she's my first baby. her name is layla.

i love her for nine months. >> what do you hope for the future for layla an for yemen? >> oh, i hope yemen be a good country. i hope this. >> okay. we'll leave you in peace. and congratulations. sorry. i'm being a little emotional here. congratulations. she's beautiful. [ applause ] >> but you can't help wondering if she will see peace in her lifetime. across yemen there are so many babies like her struggling just to survive. will little shermo have enough for next week? will the fighting ever stop? will the bullets in saha's neck ever be removed?

despite all of the war, suffering and death, hope is still alive. for "nightline" in yemen. >> this special edition of "nightline" is brought to you by -- u by -- ♪ hey allergy muddlers: are you one sneeze away from being voted out of the carpool? try zyrtec® zyrtec® starts working hard at hour one and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. stick with zyrtec®. muddle no more®. and try children's zyrtec® for consistently powerful relief of your kid's allergies. thisat red lobsterest. with exciting new dishes like dueling lobster tails and lobster truffle mac & cheese. classics like lobster lover's dream are here too. so enjoy these 10 lobsterlicious dishes while you can because lobsterfest won't last.

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facebook page. thanks again for watching. good night. i'm an imaginary friend of a kid just like you.ada! you probably have lots of questions. but look, we'll get through this together.