Boko Haram violence forces 1 million children from school

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has given his military commanders until the end of the month to end the Boko Haram insurgency, but even if victory is possible analysts say his government will have to contend with social turmoil stemming from a generation of children who have not gone to class.

But fear of attacks discourages parents from sending their children back to school and teachers from resuming classes.

“The challenge we face is to keep children safe without interrupting their schooling”, said Fontaine.

“The insurgency has been a huge blow for education in the region, and violence has kept many children out of the classroom for more than a year, putting them at risk of dropping out of school altogether”, he said.

In 2016, UNICEF will need almost $23 million to provide access to education for children affected by conflict in these countries, according to the statement.

The report, published on Tuesday found that more than 2,000 schools across Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger have been closed as a result of the violence imposed by the jihadi militants.

Boko Haram mainly operates in northeastern Nigeria, but the Takfiri group has spread its influence to neighboring African countries and launched attacks in Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Hassan Modu, the principal of a recently reopened school in Maiduguri, northeastern Nigeria, said the pupils were calm and happy to be back to school in spite of the “traumatic situation”.

Boko Haram, which was originally based in Nigeria, has intensified its operations in neighbouring countries, Thomson Reuters Foundation reported. The group has recently pledged allegiance to Islamic State changing its name to Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP). Most of the girls haven’t been found.

But it’s not unlikely to be stretched despite losing towns, as Boko Haram is blasting places. More than 10,000 are thought to have been killed by the group.