Tens of thousands of children are at risk of starving to death in Nigeria unless the world takes action, the United Nations children’s agency has warned.<\/p>\n
Labelling it the world\u2019s most under-funded humanitarian crisis, Unicef said the terrorist insurgency of Boko Haram has left 400,000 children severely malnourished and millions more in desperate need of humanitarian assistance after they fled their homes.<\/p>\n
The agency warned that 90,000 children could die of Severe Acute Malnutrition in the coming year unless the international community takes swift action. That amounts to more than 240 child deaths each day.<\/p>\n
Doune Porter, Unicef’s chief of communications in the west African nation, told The Independent that despite attempts to raise global awareness of the crisis in November, the number of children at risk of starving to death has increased further.<\/p>\n
Forecasting a “tragedy” if the rest of the world continues to turn its back, she said: \u201cThree months ago we estimated that over the year in the three states most effected by conflict \u2013 Borno Yobe and Adamawa \u2014 4000,000 would suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition. This projection has now increased to 450,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe continue to be hampered by a lack of funds and by access security in the region. There are a lot of children who we can\u2019t reach because of insecurity and attacks in certain areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the situation continues where we can\u2019t reach people or we do not have enough funding, we estimate that one in five of these children \u2014 90,000 of them \u2014 are expected to die in the coming year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Doune Porter, Unicef’s chief of communications in the west African nation, told The Independent that despite attempts to raise global awareness of the crisis in November, the number of children at risk of starving to death has increased further.<\/p>\n
Forecasting a “tragedy” if the rest of the world continues to turn its back, she said: \u201cThree months ago we estimated that over the year in the three states most effected by conflict \u2013 Borno Yobe and Adamawa \u2014 4000,000 would suffer from Severe Acute Malnutrition. This projection has now increased to 450,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe continue to be hampered by a lack of funds and by access security in the region. There are a lot of children who we can\u2019t reach because of insecurity and attacks in certain areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the situation continues where we can\u2019t reach people or we do not have enough funding, we estimate that one in five of these children \u2014 90,000 of them \u2014 are expected to die in the coming year.\u201d<\/p>\n
In total, 15 million people have been affected, with seven million people in need of urgent life-saving assistance \u2014 more than half of them children.<\/p>\n
\u201cAcute malnutrition is an extremely dangerous condition for children. It\u2019s clinging to life. It makes them nine times more likely to die from an ordinary illness such as pneumonia and diarrhea,\u201d said Ms Porter. “In this crisis there are children starving to death. And we can\u2019t reach these children if we don\u2019t have the funding. So few people know about the depth of this crisis.<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cWe\u2019re scaling up the efforts. But this is a crisis that is so big that we really need the world to mobilise around the children of north-east Nigeria. If we don\u2019t get the funding, then we cannot reach the children whose lives we could save. And that\u2019s a tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mike Sunderland, Save the Children\u2019s West and Central Africa\u2019s media manager, has been working with malnourished children in Nigeria and warned that as well as the children being treated, there are thousands more that haven’t yet been reached.<\/p>\n
In total, 15 million people have been affected, with seven million people in need of urgent life-saving assistance \u2014 more than half of them children.<\/p>\n
\u201cAcute malnutrition is an extremely dangerous condition for children. It\u2019s clinging to life. It makes them nine times more likely to die from an ordinary illness such as pneumonia and diarrhea,\u201d said Ms Porter. “In this crisis there are children starving to death. And we can\u2019t reach these children if we don\u2019t have the funding. So few people know about the depth of this crisis.<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cWe\u2019re scaling up the efforts. But this is a crisis that is so big that we really need the world to mobilise around the children of north-east Nigeria. If we don\u2019t get the funding, then we cannot reach the children whose lives we could save. And that\u2019s a tragedy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mike Sunderland, Save the Children\u2019s West and Central Africa\u2019s media manager, has been working with malnourished children in Nigeria and warned that as well as the children being treated, there are thousands more that haven’t yet been reached.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese children are the lucky ones who have reached help. If that\u2019s the case for them, we can only image the ones who are out of our reach.”<\/p>\n
The crisis “is grossly under-funded,” he said, adding: “We need a humanitarian response that is well-funded, and that will allow people involved in this crisis to save as many children as possible.”<\/p>\n
Boko Haram has been on a violent campaign since 2009 to impose their version of Islamic law in Africa\u2019s most populous country, and has so far killed more than 20,000 people and forced an estimated 2.6 million from their homes.<\/p>\n
The conflict has been characterised by systematic, widespread violation of children\u2019s rights, with abductions and sexual abuse and the forced recruitment into militias commonplace.<\/p>\n
As the Nigerian army continues its advance into insurgent strongholds in areas bordering Niger, Chad and Cameroon, many children have \u2014 as well suffering a shortage of food \u2014 witnessed atrocities first-hand, or have themselves been subject to attacks.<\/p>\n