UNICEF suspends aid in Nigeria after attack on convoy

UNITED NATIONS (AA) – The United Nations Children's Fund has suspended much-needed aid delivery in Nigeria after an attack there on a humanitarian convoy injured two people, the fund said in a statement Thursday.

The convoy was traveling from Bama to Maiduguri in Borno State when it came under attack by unknown assailants, the statement said, adding that a UNICEF employee and a contractor were injured and are currently under treatment.

The statement did not reveal the nature of the injuries.

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

Northeastern Nigeria is currently experiencing a malnutrition crisis due to ongoing violence perpetrated by Boko Haram militants.

A total of 244,000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition in Borno this year, UNICEF said in a report published earlier this month.

An estimated 49,000 children – almost 1 in 5 – will die if they are not reached with treatment, according to the report.