UNICEF says 'extremely
concerned about an appalling increase in the cruel and calculated use of
children, especially girls'
By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS, Nigeria
At
least 83 children have been deployed as "human bombs" by Boko Haram
militants in Nigeria’s northeastern region between January and August, a figure
four times higher than it was for all of 2016, the UNICEF said Tuesday.
The
body said 55 of the victims were girls, most often under 15 years old; 27 were
boys, and one was a baby strapped to a girl. The sex of the baby used in the
explosion was impossible to determine, UNICEF said in a statement.
"UNICEF
is extremely concerned about an appalling increase in the cruel and calculated
use of children, especially girls, as ‘human bombs’ in northeast Nigeria,”
according to the statement.
UNICEF
said the trend worsened the sufferings of children in the insurgency now in its
eighth year, adding that the children so used as "human bombs" were
victims and not perpetrators of the crime.
"The
use of children in such attacks has had a further impact of creating suspicion
and fear of children who have been released, rescued or escaped from Boko
Haram," the statement said.
"As
a result, many children who have managed to get away from captivity face
rejection when they try to reintegrate into their communities, compounding
their suffering," it added.
The
agency said the situation in Nigeria's northeast had led to massive
displacement of some 1.7 million people and a malnutrition crisis that had
proven deadly for children. It also warned of possible famine in the region
this year, with 450,000 children at risk of acute malnutrition.
Nigeria
insists Boko Haram has been degraded but recent bombings and deadly attacks on
security agencies have raised tension about the possible resurgence of the
group which is now split into two factions - one of them officially affiliated
with the Daesh.