Lake Chad basin kids need food

Difficult days ahead for nearly half a million children around the lake Chad region following warnings of severe malnutrition due to drought and repeated attacks from Islamic sect Boko Haram.

The UN aid agency UNICEF says a further 49.000 people in Nigeria’s Borno state will die if they do not get treatment.

The UN body is seeking aid worth 308 million dollars to deal with the crisis.

For now only 13 percent of the needed amount has been received.

‘’ We have seen adults so exhausted that they are unable to move, children with swollen faces, hollow eyes and other clear indications of acute malnutrition,’‘ UNHCR spokesman, Adrian Edwards said.

An estimated 2.2 million children are trapped in areas controlled by Boko Haram.

In areas like Borno, three quarters of water facilities need rehabilitation while nearly two-thirds of hospitals and clinics have been partially or completely destroyed.

‘‘There is urgent need for armoured vehicles, military escorts providing, better security and protection for all of us as humanitarians to be able to more effectively reach vulnerable populations,’‘ Adrian Edwards added.

UNICEF officials say they have recorded 38 cases of child suicide bombings this year.

Boko Haram has killed an estimated 15.000 people since launching their armed campaign in 2009.