North-East Nigeria: 2017 in Review
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While conflict continues to rage and despite numerous challenges, humanitarian aid reached more people in more places across the north-east.
FROM INCREASED INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION AND DONOR SUPPORT TO IMPROVED LOCAL COORDINATION, 2017 WITNESSED A LOT OF POSITIVE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE ACROSS NORTH-EAST NIGERIA. AMID MAJOR UNDERLYING CHALLENGES, HUMANITARIAN ORGANISATIONS WORKED AROUND THE CLOCK TO DELIVER LIFE-SAVING AID TO OVER 5 MILLION OF THE MOST VULNERABLE CONFLICT-AFFECTED WOMEN, CHILDREN AND MEN IN THE STATES OF BORNO, ADAMAWA AND YOBE.
JANUARY: RESPONSE SCALE-UP AND TRAGIC BOMBING IN RANN
In the second half of 2016, the world awoke to the enormity of the north-east Nigeria humanitarian crisis, vastly neglected until then. This realisation translated into a massive scale-up of efforts and resources by international and local organisations during the first months of 2017. By mid-2017, there were close to 3,000 aid workers operating in 26 locations in the north-east, compared to only a few hundreds in 2016. In January 2017 alone, more than 1.2 million people received cash-based or in-kind food assistance, a major step toward tackling the looming risk of famine.
Tragically, the month was also marked by a bombing incident at the site for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Rann, Borno State, by a Nigerian Air Force jet. At least 54 persons were killed, including several aid workers, and hundreds were severely injured. Thanks to the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) helicopters, managed by the World Food Programme (WFP), through 13 missions, emergency response teams were rapidly deployed, 967 kgs of medical cargo were delivered and 66 injured persons were evacuated to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, for treatment.