Over 300,000 children slain in last 12 years of Nigerian conflict, UN concerned

New York – The 12-year-old conflict raging in northeastern Nigeria has claimed the lives of over 300,000 children. The new report released by the United Nations department expresses concern that this number is ten times the previous claims. The United Nations said that along with the attacks by the terrorist organisation Boko Haram, other conflicts are also responsible for this. Meanwhile, 170 people lose their lives every day in the Nigerian conflicts.

Before this, an international organisation had published a report regarding the Nigerian conflict. The report claimed that nearly 35,000 children died in the Nigerian conflict since 2008. But the report published jointly by the ‘UN Food and Development’ (UNDP) department and Nigerian finance ministry negate this claim. The situation in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe provinces in northeastern Nigeria is becoming extremely dangerous. The conflict between the terrorist organisation Boko Haram and other terrorist organisations with the local gangs is claiming about 170 lives daily. Over the last 12 years, over 350,000 people have been killed in direct and indirect attacks by terrorist organisations like Al Qaeda affiliated Boko Haram and ISWAP. There are more than 24,000 children among the dead. UNDP claimed that the number of people slain in the indirect attacks is more than those who died in the direct attacks.

The indirect attacks directly affect public life due to the losses in the agriculture, water, trade, foodstuff and health systems. UNDP criticised, the children below five years of age were the victims of these crises. Therefore, UNDP has said that the direct attacks of the terrorist organisations are equally responsible for the victims of the indirect attacks. More than 3.2 million people have migrated from northeastern Nigeria because of the conflict.