Saudi- UN: 1 million children forced out of school in west central Africa

(MENAFN- Saudi Press Agency) Johannesburg Rabi'I 11 1437 Dec 22 2015 SPA -- Conflict has forced an estimated 1 million
children out of school in north-eastern Nigeria Cameroon Chad and
Niger dpa cited the UN as saying.

More than 2000 schools have been closed for more than a year because
of conflicts in the four countries where thousands have been killed
and forced to flee their homes due to attacks by terrorist insurgent
group Boko Haram the UN Children's Fund said in a statement on
Tuesday.

"The conflict has been a huge blow for education in the region and
violence has kept many children out of the classroom for more
than a year putting them at risk of dropping out of school
altogether" said Manuel Fontaine a director for UNICEF in west and
central Africa.

In far north Cameroon only one of the 135 schools closed in 2014 has
reopened this year UNICEF said.

--SPA
11:46 LOCAL TIME 08:46 GMT