UN: More than 12,400 schools closed last year due to insecurity in West and Central Africa

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - Persistent and growing insecurity in Africa's Sahel region, the Lake Chad Basin and the Democratic Republic of Congo has forced nearly 12,400 schools in eight West and Central African countries to close or cease operation, the UN Global Fund for Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises said Wednesday