April 06, 2018

Highlights

Approximately 3,000 IDPs returnfrom Maiduguri to Bama in earlyApril, as GoN authorities requesthumanitarian assistance

Armed attack near Maiduguri resultsin at least 14 civilian deaths, morethan 80 injuries

Nearly 3 million people innortheastern Nigeria are projected toface critical levels of acute foodinsecurity during the lean season

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

Government of Nigeria (GoN) authorities officially reopened the road from BornoState’s capital city of Maiduguri to Borno’s Banki town in Bama Local Government Area(LGA) on March 24. GoN officials had closed the road to civilian traffic in September 2014 due to escalated conflict in the area. The reopened route restores overland access toBorno’s town of Bama, prompting Borno officials to begin the first phase of internally displaced person (IDP) returns to the town on April 2.

On April 1, suspected Boko Haram elements attacked villages outside of Maiduguri,resulting in the death of at least 14 civilians and injuring more than 80 others, accordingto international media. The UN condemned the attack and urged parties to the conflict to protect civilian lives.

The latest Cadre Harmonisé (CH) analysis forecasts that food security in northeasternNigeria will deteriorate in the coming months. Approximately 2.3 million people inAdamawa, Borno, and Yobe states currently face Crisis—Phase 3—or worse levels ofacute food insecurity; during northern Nigeria’s June-to-August lean season, an estimated3 million people will likely experience acute food insecurity.4 Food security actors notethat sustained deliveries of emergency food assistance are necessary to prevent furtherdeterioration of food security conditions.

In a late March visit to Niger’s Diffa Region, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs Cecilia Jimenez-Damary identified humanitarian protection assistance,such as prevention of and response to gender-based violence (GBV), and income-generating opportunities as priority needs for displaced populations in the region.

NIGERIA

On March 24, GoN authorities officially reopened the road from Maiduguri to Banki to civilian traffic for the first time since September 2014, when authorities closed the road due to insecurity. As the newly opened road restores overland access to Bama town, Borno officials began facilitating IDP returns from displacement sites in Maiduguri to Bama on April 2, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The returns are part of the GoN Bama Initiative—a large-scale effort launched in July 2017 to reconstruct the conflict-affected LGA to facilitate the safe and voluntary return of IDPs to the town. On April 2, GoN authorities facilitated the return of approximately 3,000 IDPs sheltering at Dalori I and II displacement sites in Maiduguri to areas of origin in Bama town. Additionally, approximately 55 trucks have delivered commercial and relief commodities to Bama and nearby towns since the road reopened, and the GoN has delivered food and other relief items to the town, IOM reports. IOM noted that returnees continue to require humanitarian assistance in Bama town. Relief actors have expressed concerns about sufficient security conditions, access to basic services, and provision of humanitarian assistance to support returnee populations in Bama, and continue to emphasize the importance of ensuring IDP returns are dignified, safe, and voluntary.

The UN resumed limited relief operations in Borno’s Rann town, Kala/Balge LGA, on March 20 after reinstating humanitarian flights to the town on March 19. UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) had relocated all humanitarian staff from Rann after a March 1 attack on a Nigerian military camp near the town that resulted in the death of three humanitarian workers. UN agencies and NGOs can conduct single-day interventions until security conditions improve sufficiently to support multi-day operations. Approximately 80,000 people, including 55,000 IDPs, rely on life-saving humanitarian assistance in Rann.

On April 1, suspected Boko Haram elements attacked villages near Maiduguri, resulting in at least 14 civilian deaths and more than 80 injuries, according to international media. UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria Yassine Gaba released a statement on April 2 condemning the attack and called on all parties to the conflict to cease fighting and protect civilian lives. To date in 2018, more than 20 armed attacks in northeastern Nigeria have resulted in at least 120 civilian deaths and at least 210 injuries, the UN reports.

A March CH analysis projects that 3 million people in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe, or approximately 22 percent of the population in the three states, could face Crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity between June and August. An estimated 2.3 million people are currently experiencing acute food insecurity in northeastern Nigeria. The CH reports that food security conditions in northeastern Nigeria have improved since late 2017 due to a strengthened security context, recently completed harvests, and ongoing humanitarian assistance. A February Emergency Food Security Assessment conducted by USAID/FFP partner the UN World Food Program (WFP), the GoN, and food security actors underscored that emergency food assistance—complemented by recovery and resilience activities—is required to prevent deterioration of food security conditions in northeastern Nigeria.

The Borno State Ministry of Health (SMoH) recently reported a decrease in the weekly number of suspected cholera cases in Borno’s Kukawa LGA. The number of cases reported from March 19–25 decreased by 48 percent compared to the number of cases reported from March 12–18. Health actors have reported nearly 640 suspected cholera cases and three related deaths since February 13, when the Borno SMoH recorded the first laboratory-confirmed cholera case in Kukawa. In response to the outbreak, USAID/OFDA partners are providing emergency health and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance in affected areas.

The Yobe SMoH reports an increase in cases of acute watery diarrhea (AWD) in Bade and Yusufari LGAs since late March. From March 28 to April 3, health actors recorded more than 160 AWD cases and 12 related deaths. In response, the Yobe SMoH established a diarrhea treatment center in Bade’s Gashua town, and GoN authorities, UN agencies, and NGOs are conducting emergency response activities, including community sensitization campaigns and water testing. Additionally, the WASH Sector Working Group—the coordinating body for humanitarian WASH activities in Nigeria, comprising UN agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders—is conducting an assessment of WASH conditions and interventions in Gashua. USAID’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) is closely monitoring the situation, and is coordinating response activities with partners and Health and WASH sector leaders.

A USAID/OFDA partner continued to deliver critical health care services to conflict-affected populations in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council LGA’s Bolori II ward in February, providing more than 11,800 health consultations to IDPs and host community members through three mobile health clinics and one primary health clinic. In February, the USAID/OFDA partner screened more than 4,900 children for acute malnutrition and identified 90 severe acute malnutrition cases, which the partner referred to outpatient therapeutic programs for treatment.

USAID/FFP NGO partners provided approximately 749,000 people in Borno and Yobe with cash-based or in-kind food assistance in February. Partners also conducted nutrition screenings, as well as health and nutrition education sessions, to complement the delivery of emergency food assistance.

WFP reached approximately 1.2 million people in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe with cash-based or in-kind food assistance in February. WFP also provided nutrition assistance to approximately 158,000 children ages 6–23 months and 98,000 pregnant or lactating women during this period. Since FY 2017, USAID/FFP has contributed approximately $215 million to support WFP’s operations in northeastern Nigeria

CAMEROON

Insecurity is adversely affecting land preparation activities in Far North Region, where millet and sorghum sowing typically begins in May, potentially undermining crop production during the upcoming agricultural season, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). By March, maize and sorghum prices in Far North had increased by approximately 30 and 50 percent, respectively, compared to March 2017 levels, limiting access to food in local markets. FAO reports that conflict and displacement continue to drive concerning food security conditions in Far North, with households increasingly using negative coping mechanisms to meet basic food needs. In FY 2017, USAID/OFDA provided more than $700,000 in humanitarian assistance to address the agriculture and food security needs of vulnerable populations in Far North.

In February, USAID/FFP partner WFP provided emergency food assistance to approximately 48,200 Nigerian refugees in Far North. Additionally, WFP provided school meals to 69,000 children and conducted acute malnutrition prevention activities, such as blanket supplementary feeding programs, for 34,000 children ages five years and younger in conflict-affected communities.

CHAD

An estimated 112,500 people remain displaced in Lac Region, straining limited local resources in host communities, according to IOM. IDPs sheltering in the islands of Lac do not have an identification card system and lack access to public services, such as education and health care. The dearth of identification cards presents significant protection concerns as these IDPs have challenges registering for assistance, according to IOM. Additionally, ongoing military operations and the state of emergency in Lac—in place since late 2015—have limited affected populations’ access to income-generating opportunities, such as farming and fishing. IOM underscored that affected populations remain in need of humanitarian assistance and emphasized the importance of complementary early recovery and development programming.

Households in Lac will likely continue to face Crisis—IPC 3—levels of acute food insecurity through September, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET). Displaced populations have strained food supplies among host communities, and affected households are unable to meet basic food needs. In addition, Chad’s pastoral lean season—which typically begins in April—commenced earlier than expected in February, and herding populations in Lac face inadequate pasture for livestock. Decreasing livestock value is exacerbating food insecurity for pastoral populations.

NIGER

Throughout 2017, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recorded nearly 780 protection incidents in Diffa through its protection monitoring program. The UN agency recorded the highest number of protection incidents—28 percent—in Diffa’s Gueskerou Department, while the remaining departments each registered between 9 and 13 percent of cases. UNHCR noted that suspected Boko Haram elements were responsible for approximately 47 percent of the incidents.

UNHCR identified child protection, forced recruitment, GBV, lack of access to basic social services, lack of documentation and related movement restrictions, presence of explosive remnants of war, and separation of families during displacement as primary protection concerns in Diffa. UNHCR also identified several protection priorities for 2018, including increasing alerts for population movements to improve response capacity and strengthening data collection mechanisms within communities and at border points. UNHCR also plans to strengthen protection identification among displaced populations and encourage increased information sharing among protection actors.

In late March, UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs Cecilia Jimenez-Damary traveled to Diffa to assess humanitarian conditions and IDP needs in the region. As a result of displacement, IDPs have lost social protection networks and are exposed to protection risks, such as early marriage and GBV; displaced populations also lack access to basic services, including education and health care services, according to the UN representative. IDPs advocated for additional income-generating activities, such as cattle herding, commercial activities, fishing, and land cultivation, to minimize dependency on humanitarian assistance. Up to 130,000 IDPs are expected to remain in protracted displacement due to ongoing violence in the region, the UN reports. Following her visit, UN Special Rapporteur Jimenez-Damary expressed support for Government of Niger efforts to draft legal and policy frameworks related to the rights of IDPs. She also called for increased funding for protection interventions and stronger integration of IDP issues in other sectors, including health, nutrition, and WASH. In FY 2017, USAID/OFDA provided nearly $900,000 in humanitarian protection assistance in Diffa.