The United Nations has launched a record 2.7 billion dollar humanitarian appeal as 2017 assistance for the Sahel
region hit by Boko Haram insurgents.
U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says at least 40 per cent of the money will be used to help some seven million people in Nigeria.
According to figures from OCHA, one in six people across the Sahel are hungry, while in many communities throughout the region, a fifth of children under the age of five are malnourished.
In addition to violence involving militant groups, climate change has been identified as a major factor behind the growing number of vulnerable people across the region.
