The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), says about 950 pupils were abducted from their schools in the past six months, just as it expressed concern on the rising spate of attacks and abduction of children in Nigeria and parts of Africa.
The global body called for concerted efforts by stakeholders in the education sector to keep pupils safe from danger.
“On July 5, 150 students were reportedly abducted from a school in Nigeria’s Kaduna State, marking the latest incident in an alarming spate of attacks against children and abductions, including of students, in parts of West and Central Africa.
“We are 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”, UNICEF said in a statement on Wednesday.
It added. “Over the past six weeks alone, nearly 500 children were abducted in four separate incidents across the central and northwest parts of the country.
“Meanwhile in Nigeria, the UN estimates that at least 950 students have been abducted from their schools by armed men since December.
“Many of these children have not yet been returned. It is hard to fathom the pain and fear that their families and loved ones are suffering in their absence.”
UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, expressed alarm at the spate of attacks against children and their abductions.
Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric stated this while briefing correspondents at the UN headquarters in New York, on Wednesday.
Dujarric said 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”.
Meanwhile, Fore said in a statement on Wednesday that the incidents appeared to be increasing in frequency, raising fears for the safety and wellbeing of children, including pupils in the region.
Fore was reacting to the kidnapping of some 140 students from a boarding school in Kaduna State, Nigeria, on Monday.
“We are 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.
“Every effort must be made to reverse the spiraling protection crisis for children as the region is on the brink of a catastrophe,” she 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.
Fore stressed that it was not enough to just condemn these crimes, but to take concerted action so that children and pupils can live in safety.
“This starts with non-State armed groups and all parties to conflict who are committing violations of children’s rights.
“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 said.
