From a Mountain Village to a Hospital Bed

Raghad Hassan and her brother Raad were born seven weeks ago, prematurely, as fighting surged between Houthi rebels and government forces in Yemen. Their family fled the Kahboub mountains in the south‑west after the Houthis reached their village, leaving behind their home, livestock and any semblance of security.

During the trek to safety the twins grew weaker, suffering from vomiting, diarrhoea, cold and dust. By the time they arrived at al‑Sadaqah hospital in Aden, a doctor described them as "just skin and bone" and noted that Raad’s ribs were visible as he took rapid, shallow breaths.

Severe Acute Malnutrition in a War Zone

The twins were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition, a condition the United Nations warns can be as lethal as a bullet. Their father, Bajash Ali Sagir Hassan, told reporters that the twins were fed only twice a day and sometimes received just water because the war had driven up the price of baby milk.

Al‑Sadaqah’s malnutrition unit operates under extreme constraints. Although the ward contains 22 beds, staff admit only 13 patients at a time—the most critical cases—due to shortages of international funding, staff and equipment. "We don't have good equipment like ventilation machines, and oxygen bottles," a nurse explained.

Human Faces Behind the Statistics

Within an hour of arrival, the twins were placed on a single bed, a decision made by supervising nurse Aisha Ragab, who herself fled the war in 2018. Lina Hassan, the twins’ mother, fed them fortified milk from a tiny bottle, but Raad could not keep it down and remained cradled in her arms.

Dr. Noor Mohammed, who works in the unit, described a revolving door of patients: "Sometimes a child comes back to us after a week, or two days… they come back and we admit them and the story begins again." Families return because they cannot afford proper nutrition, vitamins or antibiotics.

The Wider Crisis

The twins’ plight is a microcosm of Yemen’s larger humanitarian emergency. The conflict has escalated along the Red Sea coast, cutting off the country’s third‑largest city, Taiz, and leaving civilians at "grave risk" due to soaring food prices. The United Nations reports that more than 250,000 people have been displaced since an informal ceasefire collapsed in the summer.

Health facilities like al‑Sadaqah are strained by the lack of resources. The hospital’s pink‑walled unit, with its padlocked doors, reflects a system that can treat only a fraction of those who need care. Without adequate ventilation machines or oxygen supplies, many children with severe malnutrition face a precarious future.

What Lies Ahead

For Bajash and his family, survival hinges on both humanitarian aid and the fragile ceasefire that could allow aid convoys to reach the most affected regions. As long as the war continues to disrupt supply lines and inflate the cost of basic necessities, newborns like Raghad and Raad will remain on the front lines of a crisis that is both medical and political.

The story of these twins underscores the urgent need for sustained international support—not only to deliver food and medicine but also to rebuild the health infrastructure that can protect Yemen’s most vulnerable children.