TheCable

About a quarter of a million children are severely malnourished in Borno state, and face a high risk of death, according to UNICEF.

The organisation also lamented the extent of the nutrition crisis as a rsult of humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram emergency.

As more areas in the north-east become accessible to humanitarian assistance, the extent of the nutrition crisis affecting children is becoming even more apparent.

The UN children’s agency urged all partners to join the humanitarian response and donors to urgently provide resources.

Out of the 244,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Borno, an estimated 49,000 children – almost 1 in 5 – will die if they are not reached with treatment.

“Some 134 children on average will die every day from causes linked to acute malnutrition if the response is not scaled up quickly,” said Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF regional director for Western and Central Africa.

“We need all partners and donors to step forward to prevent any more children from dying. No one can take on a crisis of this scale alone.”