UNICEF says 1.4 million children at risk of dying from starvation
UN agency has warned that children in northeast Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen are facing the greatest risk, and that time is running out to save them.
A child rests as Ann M. Veneman, UNICEF executive director, visits the Notre Dame orphanage in Port-au-Prince February 4, 2010 in this file photo.
The United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) has said that 1.4 million children are at risk of dying from starvation in northeast Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, adding that time is running out to save them.
More than 450,000 children are in the conflict-affected areas of northeastern Nigeria and most of those areas are out of reach for aid organisations.
In Somalia, the main culprit of the crisis is drought; 185,000 Somali children currently face hunger, with the number expected to rise.
Conflict and poverty in South Sudan has led to the declaration of famine in the north central states. Over 270,000 children are already suffering from malnutrition.
Meanwhile, 462,000 children in Yemen are malnourished due to the ongoing conflict.
Peter Smerdon is the World Food Programme's deputy director of communications. He says the report paints a gloomy picture.
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