Children fleeing to Blangloua in the Far North, trapped by malnutrition.
After the attacks in Darak, more than 18,000 people sought refuge in Blangloua. Deprived of everything, they now live in severe hardship, where hunger and malnutrition threaten children.
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Under a blazing sun and in a silence heavy with uncertainty, thousands of families are trying to rebuild their lives from almost nothing. In Blangloua, every child’s gaze tells a story of flight, hunger and fragile hope.
For the past three weeks, the municipality of Blangloua has been receiving a massive influx of displaced families who have fled attacks by non-state armed groups in the villages of Darak. In just a few weeks, more than 18,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes, their fields and their livelihoods.
Today, these families are scraping by in small huts made of straw and worn-out tarpaulins. The solidarity of the host communities is their main source of support, but this is rapidly running out, having already been weakened by chronic poverty.
Among the faces of this crisis is that of Bana, a 14-month-old baby. Behind his deep blue eyes lies great fragility. Before they fled, Bana was receiving treatment through the malnutrition programme in Darak, which provides ready-to-use therapeutic food (PlumpyNut). His condition had improved; after leaving the programme, he had even begun to eat meals without it.
But the attack on Darak forced his family to flee to Blangloua, abruptly cutting short the care and support provided by the Community Health Workers (CHWs) to his mother and baby to prevent a relapse.
“He hasn’t been eating his porridge for a week now. He cries almost all night, he’s weak, and I’m afraid he’ll go back to how he was before,” says his mother, Fatime.
Like Bana, many children at the site are now at risk of hunger and acute malnutrition, despite the efforts already made and the treatment of malnutrition cases supported by UNICEF. This is because, with no food to eat, some are resorting to desperate measures or harmful coping strategies.
"When I see them eating that, I worry about them. But I’ve got nothing else to give them"
Ache, aged 13, is a case in point. Every day, she walks barefoot in temperatures of around 47 degrees, trekking through the bush in search of something to satisfy her hunger, thereby exposing herself to all manner of risks at such a young age. Today, she and her little brother, who is even thinner, sit on the ground, slowly eating unripe, sour and hard mangoes, under the worried gaze of their mother, Mariam. “When I see them eating that, I fear for them. But I have nothing else to give them,” she admits, looking helpless.
Ache, despite his young age, is clear-headed and says, “We know it hurts our tummies, but we’re hungry.”
The situation is just as critical in host families. Some are accommodating several displaced households, which puts further strain on already limited resources.
“We share what little we have, but the burden is becoming overwhelming,” explains Mahamad, a member of the host community who is sheltering 20 people in his home.
Community assessments reveal an alarming nutritional situation. Without swift action, the risk of relapse and new cases of severe acute malnutrition will increase significantly.
In light of this emergency, UNICEF is urgently appealing to donors for an immediate response to provide more therapeutic food to strengthen the response to and treatment of malnourished children, and to support the most vulnerable families.
Without swift action, this silent crisis could turn into a tragedy.
