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2016 Humanitarian Needs Overview: Nigeria, November 2015

Countries
Nigeria
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

NEEDS & KEY FIGURES

14.8 million people are affected by the crisis in the north-east of Nigeria precipitated by Boko Haram-related violence since 2009. The armed conflict has affected civilians already living in precarious conditions and undermined poverty reduction and development efforts, putting at risk inter-ethnic and inter-religious co-existence, strained State Government resources and depleted community coping capacities over the past six years. While some internally displaced people (IDPs) live outside the four states of focus, these states, Adamawa, Borno, Gombe and Yobe, have been disproportionally affected by the crisis and are prioritized and referred to collectively here as north-east.

From the affected population, an estimated 7 million people, comprising displaced, confined and hosting civilians, are currently in need of humanitarian assistance.

Humanitarian Needs

1 Protection: 7 million people are suffering from the extreme consequences of armed conflict including displacement, deprivation and disease, affecting the most vulnerable in particular. 2.2 million people have been displaced, many for over a year. 3 million people are estimated to be trapped in inaccessible areas. People are subject to killings, security incidents and flagrant human rights violations. A high toll of physical abuse, abduction, extortion, disappearances, maiming, forced conversion, theft, sexual exploitation, sexual violence and forced recruitment into Boko Haram has been endured by women and children.

2 Access to food and basic services, including health, education, water and sanitation: There are 4 million vulnerable people in accessible areas: a host community population of 1.8 million and 2.2 million IDPs, who have exhausted resources and have limited or no access to basic services. In inaccessible areas the needs of 3 million people are unknown, but reports indicate they are expected to have no basic services and be severely food insecure.
Without sufficient water, sanitation and health care, people are increasingly susceptible to disease. Public infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged; over 600,000 children have lost access to learning due to the conflict. With poor rains, lack of access to agricultural land and limited market access, food insecurity and malnutrition are on the rise.

3 Shelter: Having fled from their communities due to violent conflict, 2.2 million IDPs are living in makeshift shelters, seeking refuge in overcrowded, poorlyresourced camps or centres, including at least 50 schools, or with friends and relatives, which results in serious protection concerns. Over 80% of IDPs are living in host communities, where space and resources are over-stretched, and belongings worn out from protracted displacement. Spontaneous returns have occurred in 2015 as localised security situations change, and this trend is likely to increase. In northern Adamawa an estimated 262,324 people are starting to return to places of origin and they are finding devastated villages, with destroyed houses, schools and other infrastructure and still with serious security concerns

4 Humanitarian Access: reaching the most vulnerable communities with humanitarian assistance remains severely constrained in 26 Local Government Authorities (LGAs) where the needs of approximately 3 million people can only be estimated. As the conflict shifts, and new areas become accessible, different needs will emerge: for vulnerable people reached for the first time, for those in ongoing displacement, for people on the move, and for people starting to rebuild their lives on return.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.