ReliefWeb

This report is compiled by OCHA Nigeria in collaboration with humanitarian partners.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Nearly 1,000 households affected in flash flooding across camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and informal settlements as the rainy season gets underway.

• More than 64,000 people reached with food assistance in Gwoza Local Government Area (LGA) and 34 trucks of food and non-food item (NFI) supplies arrived in Damasak town.

• Heightened presence of non-state armed groups (NSAGs) along Gwoza-Pulka area has raised safety and access concerns for over 150,000 civilians.

• Nearly 100 civilians arrived in Bama camp from inaccessible locations.

• Shelters and critical facilities vandalized in Monguno camp extension areas following the relocation of IDPs to Marte LGA.

• Two civilians were wounded in deadly armed clashes near IDP camps in Konduga and Dikwa towns.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

Flash flooding from heavy rainfalls resulted in varying degrees of damages to shelters and critical facilities across camps and host communities in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) area and Gwoza LGAs during the week, marking the onset of the rainy season. Nearly 1,000 IDPs were directly affected, with valuables and property damaged or destroyed. Bakasi, Teachers’ Village, Stadium, Gubio, Pampas and Medinatu camps are among the worst affected. Shelters, food and NFIs are among critical needs that partners are working to address across the affected locations.

During the week, food security sector (FSS) and nutrition partners ramped up operations, reaching over 64,000 IDPs, new arrivals and host community populations with critical supplies in Pulka town in Gwoza LGA. Some 580 pregnant and lactating women and 810 children under 2 years old also received double rations of nutritional supplements under the blanket supplementary feeding programme. Some 34 trucks carrying food and NFI supplies also departed Maiduguri for Damasak border town where an upsurge of violence affecting and targeting aid assets prompted a temporary reduction of footprints in April. Influx of new arrivals, including refugees who initially fled to Niger, and the recent relocation of IDPs from Maiduguri have increased acute needs in the town, particularly food. Continued scale-up of food and nutrition assistance is a priority for the humanitarian community, especially to populations in hard-to-reach and high-risk locations. Over 1.2 million people are projected to face alarming levels of food insecurity in the lean season, now underway.

Escalating insecurity in the operational context remained a major challenge during the week, threatening to further shrink the humanitarian space and impede access to programme sites. At least 2 civilians were wounded in crossfires during armed clashes near IDP camps in Dikwa and Konduga LGAs. The Dikwa clash was allegedly followed by a spontaneous search of IDP shelters at the Shehu Masta camp by security personnel, during which over 20 shelters were reportedly set ablaze. Following the incident, and with the continued risk of attacks and clashes, some IDPs have started moving out of the camp to host communities and the LGA reception center. Partners are collating and triangulating information to guide advocacy actions to ensure protection of civilians and to maintain the civilian character of IDP camps to mitigate risks of indirect attacks and crossfires during armed clashes. Civilians, including IDPs in Gwoza and Pulka towns, raised concerns of heightened presence of NSAG operatives in the general area and along supply routes during the week. Incidences of NSAG illegal vehicle checkpoints (IVCPs) that have been reported daily for over three weeks in neighbouring Damboa LGA are also increasing in Gwoza and Pulka, with implications for movement of aid convoys and assets which are typically key targets of IVCPs.

Partners in Banki town of Bama LGA continued to scale up housing, land and property (HLP) services following the increasing influx of new arrivals. Nearly 200 households arrived in recent weeks from various locations, including neighbouring Cameroon, with many moving to reclaim their original homes that are now being occupied by IDPs and refugees returnees who arrived earlier. To reduce tensions and promote harmonious co-existence, partners are ramping up mediatory and dispute resolution activities and legal/documentation assistance in the town. In neighbouring Bama town, partners are providing initial multi-sectoral assistance to nearly 100 new arrivals reportedly rescued by the military during counter-operations in inaccessible areas during the week.

In Monguno LGA, OCHA and partners followed up on reports of vandalization and looting of critical facilities, including WASH installations and shelters, in the Water Board Camp extension areas by community youths during the week. Following the relocation of IDPs from the camp extension area to Marte LGA the previous week, some individuals from the host community are laying claims to the land upon which the camp was built and hired youths to tear down existing structures. Some of the individuals claim to be acting on an existing agreement with government on repossessing their land upon the closure of the camp. An initial meeting of stakeholders on 8 June resolved to involve security agencies to prevent breakdown of law and order in the area.