Insurgency: Children Situation In North East Worrisome – UNICEF

By; MOHAMMED KAWU, Bauchi.
UNICEF has observed that the violent conflict caused by insurgency in North East Nigeria has left children severely malnourished and at risk of death.
“In the three worst-affected states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, farming has been disrupted and crops destroyed, food reserves depleted and often pillaged, and livestock killed or abandoned”, the agency said
“In Borno, where the fighting has been most brutal, 75 per cent of the water and sanitation infrastructure and 30 per cent of all health facilities have been destroyed, looted or damaged.
A statement by the UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake explained that the impact of the violent on children is devastating.
“We estimate that 400,000 children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition over the next year in the three affected states. If they do not receive the treatment they need, 1 in 5 of these children will die. Cases of diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia are on the rise, further endangering children’s lives.
According to the statement, the figures represent only a fraction of the suffering, as large areas of Borno state are completely inaccessible to any kind of humanitarian assistance, adding  “We are extremely concerned about the children trapped in these areas”
“We are making a difference in the areas we can reach. With the World Food Programme and other partners, we are treating acutely malnourished children. We are vaccinating children against measles and polio. We are providing safe water and sanitation services.
The statement made available to press by the UNICEF Communication Specialist, Media section in New York, said without adequate resources and without safe access, the agency and its partners will be unable to reach children whose lives are at imminent risk.
The Communication specialist further explained that what is already a crisis can become a catastrophe.