<h4>Sahel Region Crises</h4>
<p> ;</p>
<p><strong><a href="https://openlife.ng/">OpenLife Nigeria</a></strong> reports that an uptick in violence in the Sahel region &#8211; Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali has led to the closure of nearly 7,800 primary schools, said Save the Children with the number of closures rising 20% in the past year.</p>
<p>As a result, as of June 2023 around 1.4 million children are missing out on education.</p>
<p>Consequently, the skills they’ll need to participate fully in their communities as adults are being gradually liquidated.</p>
<p>In comparison, June 2022 recorded about 6,400 primary schools closed, affecting around 1.2 million children.</p>
<p>On International Day for the Protection of Schools from Attack, Save the Children is calling on governments and stakeholders to take steps to protect children’s education in the Sahel.</p>
<p>They are doing this by supporting the implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration, which is a commitment and framework to enable states to protect education in fragile contexts.</p>
<p>Following an upsurge in violence in the Sahel, many children and teachers are too scared to attend school.</p>
<p>There have also been cases of armed groups directly attacking schools and causing damage to school buildings.</p>
<p>Many children are internally displaced by the conflict and no longer have access to schooling.</p>
<p>The number of primary school closures is highest in Burkina Faso (5,318) followed by Mali (1,545) and Niger (958).</p>
<p>Mohamed, 13, and his family fled their home due to instability He now lives in Pissila, Burkina Faso. He said:</p>
<p>“We fled our village because of insecurity. And I don&#8217;t have any papers on me to prove that I went to school elsewhere.</p>
<p>We left everything there when we fled. Honestly, when I go to bed at night, I can&#8217;t even fall asleep.</p>
<p>When I think that I won&#8217;t be able to do what I used to do, it really hurts my heart.</p>
<p>I think this situation compromises my life, because school was going to improve my life, but now we can&#8217;t go anymore&#8221;.</p>
<p>Many children in the region have also been killed and injured or have witnessed distressing attacks.</p>
<p>Moussa, 12, from Tillaberi in Niger, said: “&#8230; they threw something, when it exploded everyone panicked.</p>
<p>People were in the bush, others at home but we were at school.</p>
<p>Some crawled back into the classrooms, others ran in all directions, others hid in the classrooms.</p>
<p>I crawled home. I found that people had locked themselves in and little children were crying.”</p>
<p>Violence across West and Central Africa was already having a devastating impact on children’s education.</p>
<p>In 2022, it was reported that 57 million children in Central and West Africa did not attend schools, which represents almost of quarter of children worldwide.</p>
<p>So far 17 out of 27 states have signed up to the Safe Schools Declaration.</p>
<p>Vishna Shah, Regional Director of Advocacy and Campaigns for Save the Children said: “Armed violence in the Sahel is robbing children of their education and futures.</p>
<p>Attacks on schools must stop now. Children and teachers need to be able to attend school without fear of violence. Children’s education cannot be put on hold.</p>
<p>Governments and stakeholders in the Sahel must do all they can to protect children’s right to an education, including implementing the Safe School Declaration and its guidelines.”</p>

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