Watch | Kids in Niger resume school after jihadist horrors

A video on the cluster schools in Niger

In a small town in Niger, children are celebrating going back to school. For the past five years, this region was haunted by jihadist violence.

This forced many families to flee for their safety. Now, new centres such as these are helping displaced children to resume schooling.

Niger, a country in West Africa, is one of the poorest countries in the world. Amnesty International says that armed groups in the country have committed human rights abuses, including war crimes.

According to UNICEF, 817 schools which had around 72,421 students, including 34,464 girls, have been closed in Niger.

Now, an action response called “Education Tillabéri” has created cluster centres that serve as schools. Around 17,000 students have already re-entered the schooling system.

The educational sites offer free canteens. Here, students learn either in shelters or in classrooms with tables and benches.

Many children who arrived at the new camps showed signs of distress and trauma.