UNITED NATIONS, July 28 (UPI) -- United Nations officials accused the insurgent Islamist group Boko Haram of barbaric violence, and said regional forces fighting it are underfunded.
Stephen O'Brien, U.N. humanitarian coordinator, told the U.N. Security Council the level of Boko Haram violence in western Africa is "almost unimaginable" and added its "heinous, barbaric and unconscionable" viciousness has violated human rights in Nigeria and surrounding countries. The United Nations has said more than 9 million people, 7 million in Nigeria, are in need of humanitarian assistance, and 250,000 children in Nigeria's Borno state are suffering from severe malnutrition.