MSF says the region devastated by Boko Haram’s Islamist insurgency had between 500,000 and 800,000 people trapped in areas that can not be reached by humanitarian workers.
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It said 15,000 people in the town of Banki have been isolated by Boko Haram violence and depend entirely on humanitarian aid.
Several weeks ago UNICEF warned that tens of thousands of children in the Borno region were at risk if food and other supplies were not delivered.
“UNICEF continues to urge partners to join the humanitarian response in Borno.to avoid affected populations, including children, being left without assistance”, Fontaine added.
Nigeria’s government has been encouraging people to return home since the recapture of swathes of territory lost to the Islamist militants in 2014 but most are still largely reliant on food handouts.
Banki is now hosting around 15,000 people, who had gone up to 18 months without any humanitarian relief before aid agencies and the United Nations arrived in June.
Two soldiers were also wounded in the attack by suspected Boko Haram members, Nigerian army spokesman Sani Usman said in an e-mailed statement.
The military said three civilians, including United Nations staff, and two soldiers were wounded in the attack.
A total of 244,000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Borno this year, UNICEF said in a report published earlier this month.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders, or MSF) called on Wednesday for the provision of emergency aid for over 500,000 people in northeastern Nigeria living in “catastrophic” conditions.
Also on Thursday, the United Nations Security Council harped on the need to increase military cooperation between West African countries to fight against Boko Haram.
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The statement could not confirm if the attack had been masterminded by the Boko Haram militants who have waged a violent insurgency in the region since 2009, resulting in millions of people being displaced.
