United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Matthias Schmale has said he is alarmed by the impact the continued conflict in the Northeast is having on vulnerable people.
On Friday, Schmale narrated his visit to El-Miskin Camp in Maiduguri, Borno State, where about 7,200 internally displaced persons (IDPs) sought safety.
“I was also saddened to see so many children out of school. Over 4,000 school-age children in the camp have not been able to go to school in years.”
Observing that the food situation is severe for families due to lack of funding, he said women in the camp reported they had not received food assistance in more than three months.
At the Outpatient Therapeutic Feeding Program, the staff told Schmale that there are dozens of admissions of children with acute malnutrition.
Citing Cadre Harmonisé analysis, the UN official said the people in El-Miskin are among 4.4 million people in need of emergency food assistance in the coming months.
“Severe acute malnutrition is expected to double compared to last year, affecting some 690,000 children. Government and the humanitarian community must redouble efforts,” he urged.
Schmale warned that without assistance, malnutrition will increase, and more people will resort to begging, survival sex and child labour to survive.
He said the current generation affected by war must not be a lost one and called for more support in providing children with access to education.
Schmale disclosed that in 2023, aid agencies have only received eight percent of the $1.3 billion required to reach 6 million people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.
The coordinator charged donors, the private sector, and other well-wishers to quickly provide additional funding and resources to national and international organizations.
