United Nations suspends aid to Nigeria’s northeast after attack on convoy

The convoy was traveling from Bama to Maiduguri in Borno State after delivering special food to malnourished children IDP camps in the state, when they were attacked.

We are working at full strength in the Borno state capital Maiduguri.

The UN agency said late on Friday that it “continues to provide assistance to millions of conflict-affected children” in the region.

Mr. Boulierac confirmed that a military escort accompanying the convoy, “which was quite unusual for humanitarian assistance missions”, had been able to take UNICEF staff to safety following the attack.

But while Western governments are keen for Nigeria to continue the military campaign against Boko Haram, which claims to have close links with Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil), there are growing concerns that Mr Buhari’s determination to crush his political opponents is diverting vital resources away from the military effort.

Army spokesman Col. Sani Kukasheka Usman said the insurgents were hiding in Meleri village near Kawuri, the official gateway to the sprawling Sambisa Forest that has been a Boko Haram stronghold.

More than 15 000 people have been killed and at least two million displaced by Boko Haram’s insurgency in Nigeria.

Describing the attack as “heartless”, Jean Gough, UNICEF representative in Nigeria, said the task at hand is important. “We absolutely have to reach more of these communities”, she added.

Almost 250,000 children suffer from life-threatening malnourishment in Borno and around one in five will die if they do not receive treatment, UNICEF said earlier this month.

“A quarter of a million people have improved access to clean water, and over 200,000 children have been able to go back to school”. However, the organisation also disclosed through a press release on the same day that United Nations staff will not be travelling to high risk areas such as Borno State for a while.

“At the beginning of the year, UNICEF appealed for US$55 million for its emergency work, of which US$23 million has so far been received”.