UN humanitarian convoy attacked in NE Nigeria

LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - A humanitarian convoy came under attack Thursday morning in Nigeria's restive northeast as relief workers were returning from a trip to Bama where thousands of displaced persons are sheltered, the United Nations Children's Fund said in a statement.

"UNICEF can confirm that a UNICEF employee and an IOM contractor were injured in the attack and are being treated at a local hospital. All other UNICEF, IOM and UNFPA staff are safe," a UNICEF spokesperson said in the statement.

The statement could not confirm if the attack had been masterminded by the Boko Haram militants who have waged a violent insurgency in the region since 2009, resulting in millions of people being displaced.

Up to seven million of the displaced persons are said to be in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.

"The United Nations has temporarily suspended humanitarian assistance missions pending review of the security situation," according to the UNICEF statement.

It added that the convoy was in a remote area of northeastern Nigeria, where protracted conflict has caused extreme suffering and has triggered a severe malnutrition crisis.

"This was not only an attack on humanitarian workers. It is an attack on the people who most need the assistance and aid that these workers were bringing," it added.