2023-08-22 05:49:04
Dakar, August 21 (APS) – More than two million vulnerable children affected by Niger’s institutional crisis are “desperately” in need of humanitarian aid, the representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday. ) in Niger, Stefano Savi who expressed concern about the current situation in that country.
“At present, more than two million children have been affected by the crisis and are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance,” Savi said in a statement posted on the news site. UN organization.
“The current situation is very worrying and aggravates an already dire humanitarian situation in this country where the prevalence of severe malnutrition among children is extremely high, one of the worst in West and Central Africa,” said he said, warning of the serious consequences of the current crisis on millions of vulnerable children in the country.
The UNICEF representative warned that “with recent power shortages, on which 95% of the health system cold chain infrastructure depends, more needs to be done to ensure that childhood vaccines and other health supplies are not compromised”.
He also said he was concerned about the consequences of the border closures on the country’s supply of “vital supplies”.
”At present, UNICEF counts 2 containers blocked at the border of Benin with essential equipment for maintaining the cold chain, 19 containers blocked in the port of Cotonou, with equipment for vaccination and maintenance of the cold chain,’ he reported. There are “29 containers destined for Niger, currently stuck on the high seas, containing therapeutic food and syringes”, he added.
For Stefano Savi, “these vital supplies for the treatment of malnutrition and the vaccination of children that we support risk losing their effectiveness if their entry into Niger is further delayed and if they remain exposed to inadequate conditions”.
UNICEF, he says, is calling on key actors in this crisis to leave corridors to facilitate access for aid workers so that supplies reach the most vulnerable children and their families safely.
It also asks donors to protect humanitarian funds from multilateral or unilateral sanctions.
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