UNICEF expresses worry on spate of kidnapping in West/Central Africa

The Executive Director of UNICEF has expressed worry at the spate of attacks against children and their abductions, including students, in Nigeria and parts of West and Central Africa.

Henrietta Fore made this known in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja.

Fore cited the latest report by the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict, which said that one in three child victims of grave violations had been in West and Central Africa.

“She said that it is not enough to condemn these crimes and stressed that non-State armed groups and all parties to conflict, who are committing violations of children’s rights, have a moral and legal obligation to immediately cease attacks against children,’’ he said.

Fore said that the incidents appeared to be increasing in frequency, raising fears for the safety and wellbeing of children in the region.

Reacting to the kidnapping of some 140 students from a boarding school in Kaduna State, she said “we deeply concerned that as in years past, non-State armed groups and parties to conflict in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Niger and Nigeria will ramp up these violent activities over the coming weeks, ahead of the rainy season when their movements could be restricted by flooding,” he said.

Fore reported that in Burkina Faso, attacks against civilians, as well as other violations of international humanitarian law had “spiked significantly” in recent weeks.

At least 130 people were killed on Monday in an assault on a village in Yagha Province which, she said, was the single deadliest attack in the country since violence broke out in 2015.

“Additionally, 178 civilians there, including children, had been killed so far this month, while violence had displaced upwards of 1.2 million people, a ten-fold increase over three years,” he said.

The UNICEF chief listed more examples of attacks, abductions and other violations affecting children that had occurred in other countries in the region in recent months.

Fore stressed that it was not enough to just condemn the crimes, but to take concerted action so that children can live in safety.

“They have a moral and legal obligation to immediately cease attacks against civilians, and to respect and protect civilians and civilian objects during any military operations.

They should also not impede but facilitate the efforts of UNICEF and other humanitarian actors on the ground working to reach vulnerable children,” she stated.

she said that the international community has important role to play specifically by increasing donor contributions to humanitarian organisations .

Lateefah Ibrahim