Girls in northern Nigeria
prepare a meal. The crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency threatens
to undermine development throughout the region. Photo: UNFPA
Nigeria/Ololade Daniel
30 September 2015 – The humanitarian fallout from the violence
inflicted by Boko Haram is the fastest growing crisis in Africa, a
senior United Nations relief official warned today, appealing for
concerted action on the humanitarian, security and development fronts to
tackle the situation.
Recurrent conflict, erratic weather patterns, epidemics and other shocks
continue to weaken the resilience of households across the Sahel
region, which suffers from chronic levels of food insecurity and
malnutrition.
On top of that, violent conflict has led to a surge in population
displacement in and around the region, which is one of the poorest in
the world and home to 140 million people.