Situationen i det nordlige Nigeria, hvor den islamistiske bevægelse Boko Haram forsøger at indføre sharialov med væbnet magt, går i vidt omfang ud over civile. På en enkelt dag flygtede 2.000 til Niger og mange tusinde lever som interne flygtninge.
The situation in Nigeria continues to worsen as new waves of violence wrack northern Adamawa and Borno states. More than 200,000 people have fled from their homes in the last month alone, says International Rescue Committee on its website Monday.
On Oct. 2, over 2,000 people crossed from Nigeria into the Republic of Niger in the early morning, according to the International Rescue Committee’s country director, Matias Meier. This brings the total number of Nigerian refugees in that neighboring country to more than 70,000.
The IRC field team in Niger responded immediately to assess the situation. Many people fled with nothing, not even shoes, and are in dire need of food and clean water. In addition, the IRC is deeply concerned about the growing number of unaccompanied children arriving at camps and in communities hosting the refugees.
“This trend in the past months is alarming,” says Meier, noting that relief efforts need to expand rapidly to avoid the loss of lives. “I hope that more support materializes quickly.”
In the meantime, Meier explains, the IRC is providing emergency assistance to the refugees and host communities with support from the United Nations refugee agency, the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and the Swiss Cooperation. “The field staff is working tirelessly,” he said, “but the situation has reached another level and the international community must react further.”
Desperate situation
Meanwhile, thousands of Nigerians have been displaced inside their own country, seeking refuge in churches, mosques, schools, and camps, and with host families in towns and villages further south. Many have been twice displaced by violence, and some have traveled 180 miles. The cities of Yola and Mubi, major trading hubs, are both now in need of urgent support in order to respond to the influx of recently uprooted people.
17-year-old Aisha Mohammed has fled four times—first from Gwoza in Borno state to Madagali on foot when she was eight months pregnant. She then trekked to Mubi and finally Yola where she lives with family members. Aisha has lost contact with her husband and has not been able to access proper medical treatment.
“The situation is desperate, and for several days there was no water and no food in the only camp which remains open,” reports Sarah Ndikumana, IRC country director in Nigeria, about the situation in Mubi. “Latrines are insufficient and populations have had to depend on private citizens to donate goods, but even they have exhausted their ability to help.”
The IRC responds
The IRC has been working in Nigeria since 2012 and in areas of the northeast affected by the conflict since early 2014. We provide health, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, and other support to uprooted families in and around Mubi. In addition, we have launched an emergency response in Yola, screening for malnutrition and disease and arranging referrals for further care when necessary.
In one camp, the IRC’s health team discovered two cases of measles and swiftly helped launch a campaign to vaccinate children against the disease. In an effort to minimize the spread of measles, we set up hand-washing stations and cleaning committees and are educating camp residents about safe hygiene practices. The IRC is also launching efforts to assist children who were separated from their families as they fled the violence.
