Briefly

UNITED NATIONS

More to go hungry, agency's chief warns

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Tuesday that the number of people who are acutely food or nutrition insecure will rapidly expand as a result of the coronavirus. Guterres spoke in a video message for the launch of a UN policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on food security and nutrition. He said that there is more than enough food in the world to feed the population of 7.8 billion people. "But today, more than 820 million people are hungry. And some 144 million children under the age of five are stunted－more than one in five children worldwide." Speaking of the pandemic's impact, Guterres said that food systems are failing, and the coronavirus is making things worse. In the video, the secretary-general also called for efforts to strengthen social protection systems for nutrition.

BURUNDI

President Nkurunziza's death ends 15-year rule

Burundi's outgoing president Pierre Nkurunziza has died of a heart attack aged 55, ending a 15-year-rule, the government announced on Tuesday. The statement posted on social media said Nkurunziza was admitted to a hospital on Saturday night after feeling unwell. He appeared better on Sunday but "to very great surprise", his health abruptly worsened on Monday morning, and several hours of efforts failed to revive him. The government has declared a week of mourning. Nkurunziza took office in 2005, chosen by lawmakers to lead the East African nation after a civil war from 1993 to 2005. He won presidential elections in 2010 and 2015. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sent condolences to the government and people of Burundi and to the president's family.

NIGERIA

Boko Haram kill 69, steal cattle in attack

Boko Haram gunmen killed at least 69 people and razed a village to the ground in northern Nigeria's Borno State on Tuesday afternoon, sources said. The men attacked the village of Faduma Koloram, in the Gubio local government area of Borno State, starting about noon. They arrived in vehicles and on motorcycles, shooting with AK-47s, razing the village and stealing 1,200 head of cattle and camels. A resident, a Civilian Joint Task Force, or CJTF member and a soldier each confirmed the same account. They said the men attacked because they suspected residents of sharing information on Boko Haram's movements with security authorities. A CJTF member Kachallah Bumu said the residents were armed, and had repelled previous attacks, this one caught them off guard.

Agencies - Xinhua