Roundup: Boko Haram violence gravely impacts children in Lake Chad Basin: UN agency

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday warned of the devastating consequences of the Boko Haram insurgency on children in Africa's Lake Chad Basin, saying that years of violence by the extremist militants have led to a worsening humanitarian crisis that has displaced 1.4 million children and left at least one million still trapped in hard-to-reach areas.

Almost half a million will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year, up from 175,000 at the beginning of the year, UNICEF said in a report released on Thursday, adding that an estimated 38 children have also been used to carry out suicide attacks in the region so far this year.

The Lake Chad Basin is the largest endorheic drainage basin in Africa, centered on Lake Chad. It has no outlet to the sea and contains large areas of desert or semi-arid savanna. The basin spans seven countries, including most of Chad and a large part of Niger.

Across the Lake Chad Basin, the UN estimates that more than nine million people need humanitarian assistance, the United Nations said.

UNICEF said that humanitarian needs were outpacing the response, especially now that new areas previously unreachable in north-east Nigeria have become accessible. The UN agency has received only 13 percent of the 308 million U.S. dollars it needs to provide assistance to the families affected by Boko Haram violence across Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

"The Lake Chad crisis is a children's crisis that should rank high on the global migration and displacement agenda," said Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF regional director for West and Central Africa. "Humanitarian needs are outpacing the response, especially now that new areas previously unreachable in north-east Nigeria become accessible."

The report was issued ahead of the United Nations Summit on Refugees and Migrants, which is to be held on Sept. 19 to draw more world attention on children on the move and children left behind. The report also touched upon at the impact of the Boko Haram insurgency on children in Nigeria, Cameroun, Chad and Niger and its devastating toll on children.

In addition to the 2.6 million people currently displaced, an additional 2.2 million people -- more than half of them children -- are feared to be trapped in areas under the control of Boko Haram and need humanitarian assistance, the report said.

An estimated 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, said the report.

An estimated 475,000 children across Lake Chad will suffer from severe acute malnutrition this year, up from 175,000 at the beginning of the year, it said.

In northeast Nigeria alone, an estimated 20,000 children have been separated from their families, the report said.

Meanwhile, the report also noted that most of the displaced population -- more than eight in 10 people -- are staying with families and neighbors, putting additional strain on some of the world's poorest communities.

"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," said Fontaine.

UNICEF is working with partners to meet the basic needs of children and their families in the conflict-affected areas. So far this year, nearly 170,000 children received psychosocial support, almost 100,000 were treated for severe acute malnutrition and more than 100,000 took part in learning programmes.

The UN agency is appealing to the donor community to step up its support for the affected communities. Additional resources will help UNICEF and its partners scale up the response, particularly as access to areas previously under Boko Haram control is revealing growing humanitarian needs. Enditem