More than two million children “in need of humanitarian assistance” in Nigera country destabilized by the recent coup and plagued by jihadist violence, according to a statement today Unicef which was broadcast by AFP.

“More than two million children have been affected by the crisis and are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance,” says this UN organization.

“Before the recent one civil unrest and Political instability in Niger” Unicef ​​already estimated in 2023 “at 1.5 million children under 5 suffering from malnutrition, including at least 430,000 suffering from the deadliest form of malnutrition”.

According to Unicef, they the numbers may increase “if food prices continue to rise and if an economic downturn hits families, households and incomes.”

In addition, “power shortages” – already common in Niger and multiplied by the sanctions imposed on the country by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in response to the coup – affect the “cold chain” and can put jeopardizing the effectiveness of “infant vaccines” stored in health facilities.

UNICEF recalls that it “continues to provide humanitarian aid to children throughout the country”.

However, it warns that “vital supplies remain blocked at the various points of entry into the country”, such as at the border with Benin.

The United Nations children’s agency “urgently appeals” to the “actors” of the crisis to guarantee access to Niger for aid workers and for access to supplies and asks “donors to protect humanitarian funds from multilateral or unilateral sanctions”.

Niger, destabilized by the July 26 coup, is one of the poorest countries in the world and economically and energy dependent on foreign countries.

It has also been hit for several years by jihadist attacks in the west and southeast.