Côte d'Ivoire: UNICEF finds children living in 'near catastrophic conditions'

Expressing deep concern over the worsening impact of conflict on children in Côte d'Ivoire, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) today said it found "near catastrophic conditions prevailing" in the northeastern part of the country.

"It's unacceptable that no child has been vaccinated in Bouna for six months. The situation is alarming," the leader of a recent assessment team to the area, Herbert Schembri, said. "The health care system has broken down. Most of the medical personnel have fled. There are no drugs in the health facilities."

Last week, UNICEF sent a team to assess the conditions in Bondoukou and Bouna districts where residents have endured conflict for the past six months. The agency said it found near catastrophic conditions prevailing.

The children's agency is gearing up to send a convoy of medical supplies to the two districts as a first step in restarting its comprehensive support activities previously disrupted by the war. A sub-office was opened last month in Bouaké to better coordinate its humanitarian activities in the northern parts of the occupied zones.