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Fighting continues to threaten lives and livelihoods in Nigeria

Países
Nigeria
+ 1
Fuentes
UNICEF
Fecha de publicación

Highlights

• An intensification of the armed conflict in northeast Nigeria since December 2018 is threatening the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of civilians, with more than 60,000 newly displaced people coming from conflict-affected areas within the three northeast states of Nigeria in January 2019.

• Of particular concern is the situation of an estimated 40,000 people in Rann (Kale Balge LGA) affected by active hostilities that killed dozens of civilians on 14 and 27 January. After fleeing the violence on foot to Cameroon, approximately 9,000 people were forcibly returned into Nigeria in mid-January. Since then, the majority of the Rann population is believed to have again crossed into Cameroon, where humanitarian partners are providing emergency assistance in the settlement of Goura (Far North).

• The humanitarian situation is also dire in Monguno and in Maiduguri’s Teacher’s Village Camp, where more than 17,000 newly arrived displaced people are sleeping under open skies because there is no space to build new shelters.

4.2 million
Children in need of humanitarian assistance (Humanitarian Response Plan, 2019)

7.1 million
People in need of humanitarian assistance in the northeast states of Borno, Adamawa & Yobe
(HRP, 2019)

6.1 million
People targeted in the northeast states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (HRP, 2019)

60,118 newly displaced
People arriving in the northeast states in the month of January 2019
(IOM DTMETT, February 2019)

UNICEF Appeal 2018
US$ 120.1 million

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

The humanitarian situation in northeast Nigeria remains precarious following a significant spike in hostilities between Nigerian security forces and non-state armed groups (NSAGs) since the end of 2018. Fighting continues to threaten lives and livelihoods, particularly in Borno State and parts of Yobe State. Population movement, which reached an annual peak in December 2018, remained very high in January 2019 - with 60,118 new arrivals recorded across the northeast. Maiduguri, Jere, Konduga, Monguno, and Gwoza Local Government Areas (LGAs) accounted for over 70 per cent of these movements. Conflict was cited as the cause for 80 % of this movement.

Humanitarian needs remain highest among the new arrivals into Maiduguri (more than 40,000 people) and Monguno (an estimated 18,000 people), and among the population of Rann in Kala Balge LGA. In Maiduguri and Monguno, nearly 3,500 families are sleeping under open skies because there is no space to build new shelters. In Monguno, an additional 1,300 families are sharing shelters with other families, and more than 400 families are sleeping in the reception centre. The WASH sector has been able to provide 14 liters of water per person per day in both sites through water trucking. Providing sanitation remains a major challenge, due to the lack of available land to construct shelters, latrines and bathing facilities.

In Rann, clashes on 14 and 27 January reportedly caused dozens of civilian casualties and have forced the entire population (estimated at 40,000 people) to flee on foot towards the Cameroonian border. According to UNHCR, an estimated 9,000 refugees were forcibly returned into Nigeria after their first attempt of crossing into Cameroon. Following the latest violence on 27 January, the majority of Rann’s population again crossed the border and is now sheltering in the Cameroonian town of Goura (Far North Region), where humanitarian partners in Cameroon are providing emergency assistance.

Humanitarian actors remain unable to access Kala Balge and Kukawa LGAs (in addition to Abadam, Guzamala and Marte LGAs, which were already inaccessible throughout most of 2018), resulting in an increased number of people beyond the reach of humanitarian actors. Humanitarian premises and supplies continued to come under attack during the period, most notably in Rann where the humanitarian hub, the UNICEF clinic and several other humanitarian facilities were damaged or destroyed and a significant amount of humanitarian supplies (including several hundred cartons of UNICEF's Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food) was looted or destroyed. Other locations experiencing hostilities in January included Pulka, Ngala, and Biu LGAs in Borno State and Gujba and Geidam LGAs in Yobe State.