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Half a Million Child in Lake Chad Threatened by Famine | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Troops from Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Benin have been fighting the jihadists as part of regional efforts to end the violence in the Lake Chad region ©Georges Gobet (AFP/File)


Half a Million Child in Lake Chad Threatened by Famine

by | Aug 28, 2016 | World |

Half a Million Child in Lake Chad Threatened by Famine

Nwakshot – Authorities in Chad had moved ten thousand of its soldiers to Lake Chad region in its war against the terrorist organization Boko Haram, as part of a joint international military force of Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Benin, and Cameron.

The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has once again warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Nigeria. In the report published, the organization said that about half a million child suffer from “acute malnutrition” in the Lake Chad area due to drought and violence of Boko Haram.

Boko Haram presents a real threat to the area as its activities have affected the trade in the area. Both France and the U.S. announced earlier last week that they support the war against Boko Haram.

In 2009, Boko Haram started its attacks in north Nigeria killing over 20 thousand civilians and displacing over 6.2 million others.

The report estimated that 38 children have been used to carry out suicide attacks in Lake Chad basin so far this year, bringing to 86 the total number of children used as suicide bombers since 2014. This only means that the terrorist organization is relying more on children kidnapped from their schools for its attacks.

UNICEF appealed to the international community to support and help more. The organization said it had received only $41 million (13 %) of the US$ 308 million it needs to provide assistance to the families affected by Boko Haram violence across Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

UNICEF added that since Boko Haram retreated from the areas in north Nigeria, workers started estimating the catastrophe left behind because of the war.

The report added that local communities are sharing the little they have to help those in need in an act of humanity that is replicated in thousands of homes across the conflict-affect areas.

UNICEF pointed out that over two million people, over half of them children, are feared to be trapped in areas under the control of Boko Haram and need humanitarian assistance.

It is worth mentioning that Boko Haram had pledged allegiance to ISIS in March 2015. The organization aims to form an Islamic state in the Chad Lake area. Meanwhile, the Nigerian army announced last week that it was able to attack Boko Haram’s leader, which the organization didn’t comment on.