UN warns: Children in the Sahel in 'extreme danger'

In Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, the number of children in need is twice as high compared to 2020, according to the UN Children's Fund Unicef.

"2022 was a particularly violent year for the children of the Sahel. All warring parties must immediately cease attacks on children, their schools, hospitals and homes," Marie-Pierre Poirier, Unicef's regional director for western and central Africa, told AFP.

The armed conflicts in the Sahel region have become increasingly brutal and violent, according to UNICEF.

In Burkina Faso, three times as many children were killed in the first nine months of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, according to figures from the United Nations.

The vast majority of the children lost their lives after being gunshot wounded in attacks on their villages or injured by explosives left behind by the warring parties.