UNICEF: Boko Haram has deployed 83 child suicide bombers this year
The radical Islamic group Boko Haram has deployed as many as 83 child bombers against Nigerian targets this year, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
In a press release on Tuesday, the UN Agency reported that out of the 83 children deployed by the terror group, 55 were girls, mostly under the age of 15. Twenty-seven of the child bombers were boys, and one was a baby strapped to a girl.
UNICEF further noted that the number of children used as suicide bombers this year was four times as many as those deployed in all of 2016.
The agency stated that it was "extremely concerned about an appalling increase in the cruel and calculated use of children, especially girls, as 'human bombs' in northeast Nigeria. The use of children in this way is an atrocity."
Boko Haram is said to be responsible for the deaths of an estimated 100,000 people in its attempt to create an Islamic state in the Lake Chad region, which spans parts of Nigeria, Niger Cameroon and Chad. Over 2 million people have been displaced by the terror group since the insurgency began 2009.
The group gained notoriety in 2014 when it abducted more than 200 girls from the northeast Nigerian town of Chibok in April that year.
Several reports have indicated that the militant group has been using women disguised as mothers carrying babies in suicide-bomb attacks.
UNICEF has expressed its concern that the Boko Haram's use of children in terror attacks has had a "further impact of creating suspicion and fear of children who have been released, rescued or escaped" from the terror group.
"As a result, many children who have managed to get away from captivity face rejection when they try to reintegrate into their communities, compounding their suffering," the agency said.
The UN agency also warned that northeast Nigeria, where most of Boko Haram's attacks are taking place, is one of the four countries and regions that are facing famine. It further noted that some 450,000 children in the region are at risk of severe acute malnutrition this year.
"UNICEF is providing psychosocial support for children who have been held by Boko Haram and is also working with families and communities to foster the acceptance of children when they return. This includes providing social and economic reintegration support to the children and their families." the agency stated.
Boko Haram has stepped up its suicide bombing attacks in northeastern Nigeria in the past few weeks, killing at least 170 people since June 1.
On Monday, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said that the government would "reinforce and reinvigorate" its fight against the insurgents following the latest wave of attacks.