“Troops returning from Bama on humanitarian escort duty, were ambushed enroute Maiduguri by suspected remnants of Boko Haram terrorists hiding in Meleri village, a few kilometers from Kawuri”, Nigerian army spokesman Col. Sani Usman said in a statement.
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A UNICEf employee and an International Organization for Migration contractor were injured in the attack.
UNICEF will continue to provide assistance to millions of conflict-affected children in northeast Nigeria, despite an attack on its convoy by Boko Haram Islamists, the United Nations children’s agency has said.
Meanwhile, UNICEF has said that it plans to scale-up its response in Borno State substantially, despite the temporary suspension of humanitarian aid in the state.
“It is an attack on the people who most need the assistance and aid that these workers were bringing”, UNICEF said in a press statement on the attack, in which unknown assailants in north-eastern Nigeria attacked an aid convoy with United Nations staff traveling from Bama to Maiduguri.
Nigerian troops backed by a regional force have recaptured the northeastern town of Damasak where Boko Haram killed more than 200 and abducted hundreds of children two years ago, the army said Friday.
UNICEF has been working to provide food for malnourished children, as well as tackle other health concerns for both children and adults in the northeast of Nigeria who have been affected by the violent activities of the Boko Haram insurgents.
The military warned earlier this month that Boko Haram fighters were fleeing its daily aerial bombardments and ground attacks in the forest, heading toward the border with Cameroon.
“The situation remains extremely serious and UNICEF wants and needs to do more, but that depends on a range of factors, such as access, security and funding”, he explained.
“Our work continues, but the level of violence, even in newly accessible areas, means we are struggling to get help to all those that need it”, said Jan Rogge of Oxfam in Nigeria. Seven million of them are in Nigeria.
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Humanitarian workers say there is a “catastrophic humanitarian crisis” in the areas where aid is being suspended.
