Quarter of a million children severely malnourished in Borno state, Nigeria: UNICEF

UNICEF in its release of 19 July 2016 said that almost a quarter of a million children in parts of Borno state, North-East Nigeria, are suffering from severe malnutrition and risk death. The humanitarian crisis is caused due to Boko Haram that is controlling the state since 2013.

In its report, UNICEF warned that tens of thousands will die if treatment does not reach them soon. In areas where Boko Haram militants had been in control, it found people without water, food or sanitation.

Facts of the Report

Out of the 244000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Borno in 2016, an estimated 49000 children – almost one in five – will die if they are not reached with treatment.

Some 134 children on average will die every day from causes linked to acute malnutrition if the response is not scaled up quickly.

Comment

Borno the state in Nigeria with capital Maiduguri was formed in 1976 is plagued by violence of terrorist group Boko Haram that declared its caliphate in northern Nigeria in 2014. It came to attention across the world after the infamous kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls from a boarding school in Chibok.

About UNICEF

UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with their partners, they work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

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