29 JULY 2016 • 7:46PM
An estimated 50,000 children are facing death by starvation in northern Nigeria this summer as a result of the Nigerian government’s faltering campaign to defeat Boko Haram Islamist militants, aid agencies are warning.

Aid experts say the humanitarian crisis caused by the seven-year conflict between the Nigerian military and Boko Haram militants has left an estimated 500,000 people homeless in northern Nigeria, the majority of whom are in urgent need of food, shelter and medical care.

Of these, 244,000 are children, and the French charity Doctors Without Borders, which has set up a network of emergency camps in the region, warns that one in five will die in the coming weeks if they do not receive urgent treatment and food supplies.

Soldiers from the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army on the back of a vehicle in Damboa, Borno State
Soldiers from the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army on the back of a vehicle in Damboa, Borno State CREDIT: AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Western aid officials have also raised concerns about the Nigerian government’s handling of the crisis, with accusations that President Muhammadu Buhari, the country’s Muslim president, is not doing enough to confront the threat posed by Boko Haram’s Islamist militants.

Britain’s Department for International Development contributes an estimated £870 million to Nigeria to support the government’s ability to fight Boko Haram, which has been responsible for a number of terrorist outrages, including the kidnapping of hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls.

But Western officials are worried that Mr Buhari is using some of the aid to persecute Christian political rivals instead of tackling Islamist militants.

A girl walks behind boys and young men in the Muna informal settlement, in the outskirts of Maiduguri capital of Borno State
A girl walks behind boys and young men in the Muna informal settlement, in the outskirts of Maiduguri capital of Borno State CREDIT: AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Mr Buhari was involved in an embarrassing diplomatic row with Downing Street earlier this year after David Cameron was overheard remarking to the Queen that Nigeria was one “of the most corrupt countries in the world” ahead of an anti-corruption summit in London.

But while Mr Buhari denied his government was involved in corruption, aid officials are becoming increasingly concerned about his handling of the campaign against Boko Haram, which could now create Nigeria’s worst humanitarian disaster since the Biafra conflict in the 1960s.

The latest refugee crisis is centred on Borno state is north-eastern Nigeria, and aid officials say around 244,000 children are suffering from acute malnutrition. “Some 134 children on average will die every day from causes linked to acute malnutrition,” said a spokesman for the children’s charity Unicef.

Last month aid workers reported that more than 1,200 people had died from starvation and illness at one refugee camp in northeast Nigeria - of these 480 were children.

A malnourished boy walking towards his mother at one of the Unicef nutrition clinic in Nigeria
A malnourished boy walking towards his mother at one of the Unicef nutrition clinic in Nigeria CREDIT: AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Yesterday (Friday) the UN said it was suspending aid to dangerous areas of Borno state after Boko Haram ambushed a humanitarian convoy on Thursday.

But while Western governments are keen for Nigeria to continue the military campaign against Boko Haram, which claims to have close links with Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil), there are growing concerns that Mr Buhari’s determination to crush his political opponents is diverting vital resources away from the military effort.

In recent months Mr Buhari, a former military dictator, has intensified his efforts to give key government appointments to Muslim political allies at the expense of Christian officials. This has resulted in increased tensions between the government and southern Nigeria, which is predominantly Christian, where in May the military killed 15 people during a peaceful Biafran protest.

But while Mr Buhari has been concentrating his efforts on tackling political unrest in southern Nigeria, U.S. military officials involved in the campaign against Boko Haram report there has been a sharp increase in terrorist attacks carried out by the group in recent weeks.

“One of the reasons we have this humanitarian crisis in northern Nigeria is that Mr Buhari is diverting vital resources away from the campaign to pursue his own political agenda,” explained a senior Western official. “The Nigerian government, which is receiving significant amounts of foreign aid, needs to understand that its main priority is to deal with Boko Haram, and also to make sure Nigeria does not suffer the worst humanitarian disaster in its history.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/29/50000-children-face-death-by-starvation-in-northern-nigeria/

Late Gen. Sani Abacha once said that Nigeria has good Leaders but bad advisers. Can't any of the Presidential aides point out these inconsistencies to Mr. President? Can't any Adviser or Minister disagree with the President, if need be resign on Principle?
May God Bless our country, Nigeria!!

This government's insincerity is now the editorial of news houses both within and outside the shores of nigeria, the goodwill that greeted the inauguration of this administraton has evaporated and now the true picture of the deceit of our change agents is now obvious. May God help us.

The General has so many wars to fight...NDA,IPOB,BOKO,HERDSMEN& CORRUPTION.Obviously the latter is his favorite.

Oksman:
This government's insincerity is now the editorial of news houses both within and outside the shores of nigeria, the goodwill that greeted the inauguration of this administraton has evaporated and now the true picture of the deceit of our change agents is now obvious. May God help us.

I always knew Buhari would never be up to any good,I knew this long b4 d elections that brought him to power.
1st of all,there's this issue of him being far below average intelligence,remember he was said to have failed all his military exams n that's d reason he doesn't have "fss" or "pss" etc attached to his name.When U join this wt d fact that to produce even a high school certificate na wahala it becomes very bad.Meanwhile his mates went on to acquire 1st degrees,masters and even PHDs.Dude was just chilling and operating wt d little high school education he acquired in d 50s.
Then dude is very sectional.Locked up Ekwueme who was d vice president and other southern politicians in Kirikiri while Shagari who was d president was chilling in a cosy guest house in Ikoyi.Buhari's tenure in PTF is d origin of d north having good roads and d south having next to none.Do U know that out of d 4 times he contested for d presidency,2015 elections was d 1st time he was campaigning in d south?Dude believed d almajiris is all he needs to b president.
Then d reason I hate him is d way he tried to justify the killing of southerners and christians by his terrorist supporters as if his ambition is worth d blood of any Nigerian.I could go on and on,but anyway,Nigerians should enjoy d change.
We warned them but they wouldn't hear.

Gradually people will be the one to abuse tge Dullard Dictator called Buhari expecially the zombies, it's only a matter of time. I am 80% sure Buhari will be disgraced out of Aso Villa come 2019 nigerians are more wiser now, no amount of Rigging will stop that come 2019

Western aid officials have also raised concerns about the Nigerian government’s handling of the crisis, with accusations that President Muhammadu Buhari, the country’s Muslim president, is not doing enough to confront the threat posed by Boko Haram’s Islamist militants.

Britain’s Department for International Development contributes an estimated £870 million to Nigeria to support the government’s ability to fight Boko Haram, which has been responsible for a number of terrorist outrages, including the kidnapping of hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls.

But Western officials are worried that Mr Buhari is using some of the aid to persecute Christian political rivals instead of tackling Islamist militants.

How on earth did Buhari or this admin use £870m BH(anti-terrorist) aid fund to prosecute the opposition? I sense PDP desperation all over this piece. That amount isn't something Buhari admin can't afford, so why use donated funds? I sense PDP's desperate attempt to draw a comparison to their own undeniable 'use' of part of the $2.1B donated arms fund under them to prosecute Buhari and Tinubu(Oppositions). It won't work. Let the accusser here give evidence of anti-terrorist fund diversion or forever remain silent.

FagsamPHP:
Gradually people will be the one to abuse tge Dullard Dictator called Buhari expecially the zombies, it's only a matter of time. I am 80% sure Buhari will be disgraced out of Aso Villa come 2019 nigerians are more wiser now, no amount of Rigging will stop that come 2019

Your fixation with Aso Rock's occupant and 2019 clearly explains every other part of your post. Keep it up. 2019 will help confirm that 2015 was no fluke. Remember that there will be no inflated votes in "PDP states" that time.

dokiOloye:
I always knew Buhari would never be up to any good,I knew this long b4 d elections that brought him to power.
1st of all,there's this issue of him being far below average intelligence,remember he was said to have failed all his military exams n that's d reason he doesn't have "fss" or "pss" etc attached to his name.When U join this wt d fact that to produce even a high school certificate na wahala it becomes very bad.Meanwhile his mates went on to acquire 1st degrees,masters and even PHDs.Dude was just chilling and operating wt d little high school education he acquired in d 50s.
Then dude is very sectional.Locked up Ekwueme who was d vice president and other southern politicians in Kirikiri while Shagari who was d president was chilling in a cosy guest house in Ikoyi.Buhari's tenure in PTF is d origin of d north having good roads and d south having next to none.Do U know that out of d 4 times he contested for d presidency,2015 elections was d 1st time he was campaigning in d south?Dude believed d almajiris is all he needs to b president.
Then d reason I hate him is d way he tried to justify the killing of southerners and christians by his terrorist supporters as if his ambition is worth d blood of any Nigerian.I could go on and on,but anyway,Nigerians should enjoy d change.
We warned them but they wouldn't hear.

Though you have hard-to-dispute points, I think the article is a scam piece meant to stoke the flame of disent towards Buhari. We are watching closely enough and there is no need for any faceless group to retell what we already know in a different way.

ini4brandon:
The General has so many wars to fight...NDA,IPOB,BOKO,HERDSMEN& CORRUPTION.Obviously the latter is his favorite.

That's cos corruption is guaranteed to jeopardise every other war stated above.

MENZPRIDE:
Late Gen. Sani Abacha once said that Nigeria has good Leaders but bad advisers.
Can't any of the Presidential aides point out these inconsistencies to Mr. President? Can't any Adviser or Minister disagree with the President, if need be resign on Principle?
May God Bless our country, Nigeria!!

The bold is easily confirmed by the attitude of majority of posters in this Forum and beyond. They tend to give 'their' opposition a 0/100 rating on any issue and their own 'brother' a 100/100 rating. That's a pathetic attitude.

Yes bokoharam are still operating in the North East. But it can never be compared to 2013-2015 when they captured many big towns like Damboa, Gwoza, Buni Yadi, Baga, Biu, MalamFatori etc

Surely we'll overcome all this

PDP chairman Sheriff should be tied to a stake and shot with an AntiAircraft Gun for arming those terrorist with ammunitions for political gain