Monday 1 August 2016

Nigeria Boko Haram crisis: UN aid convoyambushed

Suspected Islamist Boko Haram militants have
ambushed a UN humanitarian aid convoy in
north-eastern Nigeria which had a military
escort, officials say.

The military said three civilians, including UN
staff, and two soldiers were wounded in the
attack.
It has prompted the UN to temporarily
suspend aid deliveries in Borno state, where
more than two million people have been
displaced by the insurgency.

The UN says thousands of children are
severely malnourished in the region.
Earlier this month the UN's children agency
warned that tens of thousands of children
would die if treatment did not reach them
soon.

Islamist militant group Boko Haram, which
has lost most of the territory it controlled 18
months ago, is fighting to overthrow the
government.
Its seven-year insurgency has left 20,000
people dead, mainly in the country's north-
east.

The wounded are in a stable condition and are
being treated in hospital in the state capital
Maiduguri, according to a statement from the
military.
"The convoy was travelling from Bama to
Maiduguri in Borno State... returning from
delivering desperately needed assistance" at
the time of the ambush, Unicef said.
"This was not only an attack on humanitarian
workers. It is an attack on the people who
most need the assistance and aid that these
workers were bringing," it added.

Source: BBC NEWS

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