Boko Haram's devastating impact in Nigeria has displaced nearly 1.5 million children, a report released on Thursday found.
The study by Unicef, the United Nations' childrens charity, is timed ahead of a UN summit on refugees in September. It highlights the plight of children affected by the terror group in West Africa and calls for funds to help reach isolated villages affected by the violence.
It estimated 38 children in the Lake Chad basin in West Africa had been used to carry out suicide attacks and an estimated 475,000 children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition in the area this year, up from 175,000 at the beginning of 2016.
"The Lake Chad crisis is a children's crisis that should rank high on the global migration and displacement agenda," said Manuel Fontaine, Unicef regional director for West and Central Africa. "Humanitarian needs are outpacing the response, especially now that new areas previously unreachable in north-east Nigeria become accessible."
But although 20,000 children in east-Nigeria alone are thought to be separated from their families as a result of Boko Haram's insurgency, the report found most of Nigeria's displaced population are staying with other families and relatives.
The report said this put an extra burden on some of the country's poorest communities.
"Local communities are sharing the little they have to help those in need in an act of humanity that is replicated in thousands of homes across the conflict-affect areas," said Fontaine.
The charity said it had only received 13 per cent of the $308 million it needed to provide assistance to families affected by Boko Haram. It called for donors to step up to reduce that deficit.
