Kampen mod den islamiske ekstremistgruppe i den nordøstlige del af det toneangivende store olieland i Vestafrika indvirker på mulighederne for at hjælpe, men regeringen har nu sendt nødforsyninger – og udsættes for kritik.
KANO, 22 August 2013 (IRIN): The Nigerian government has stepped up its emergency food aid in response to severe food insecurity and child malnutrition (underernæring) in the northeast, where the military has been running a sweeping offensive against violent Boko Haram Islamists since June.
Some 492.000 children in northern Nigeria are severely malnourished, according to European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO).
Acute malnutrition rates are highest in Sokoto State, at 16,2 percent, while Kano State, at 9,2 percent, has the lowest, according to UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The international emergency threshold is 15 percent.
“The difficulty is that many children cannot be reached. The response to the food crisis is low compared to the level of the crisis,” Cyprien Fabre, ECHO’s West Africa head, told IRIN.
Meanwhile, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) has declared food crisis conditions in neighbouring Yobe and Borno states.
Grain distributions
The Nigerian federal government has responded by upping its grain distribution from the strategic food reserve.
Junior finance minister Bukar Tijjani Ngama said the relief will be fairly distributed across Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. The distribution has sparked accusations of political favouritism.
As of mid-July, 19.500 tons of maize, sorghum (durra) and millet (hirse) were to be distributed in the three states.
“The federal government should not allow this humanitarian effort to be politicized and the assistance should not be distributed along (political) party loyalty as has been done with the first consignment by the same officials it entrusted with the delivery of the food supplies,” Mai Mala Buni, political affairs adviser to Yobe state governor, told IRIN.
Buni alleged that the food distribution, which is supervised by Ngama, was only being given to supporters of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“People in Borno and Yobe states, regardless of political, cultural and religious leanings have suffered in one way or the other and need assistance without any consideration to political or religious sentiments,” Ngama stated.
Nigerian central government is ruled by the PDP while Yobe and Borno states are ruled by the opposition All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) which in August merged with three other parties into a mega opposition party ahead of 2015 elections.
Just a handful of aid agencies are working in northern Nigeria. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Nigeria Red Cross (NRC) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) are the only agencies carrying out humanitarian work in Borno, BH’s home state.
“The only hitches (forhindringer) we face are limited resources and logistics. Borno State is vast, and the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance is huge, far beyond our capacity to handle. Some remote areas in the state are difficult to access due to the nature of the terrain, which puts strain on our vehicles,” NRC spokesman Nwankpa O. Nwankpa told IRIN.
Borno State is under emergency rule as a result of Boko Haram violence, which has included bombings and shootings aimed at government targets and individuals.
Farmers flee violence
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http://www.irinnews.org/report/98618/conflict-gives-rise-to-food-crisis-in-northeast-nigeria
