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Nigeria

Nigeria - Borno State: Humanitarian Briefing Note

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Context Overview

Boko Haram-related violence has displaced more than 2.2 million people inside Nigeria, of whom 1.6 million are in Borno State alone. In Maiduguri, communities host 90 percent of internally displaced people (IDPs), placing a heavy strain on already poor resources and weakening the communities’ ability to meet their basic needs.The other 10 per cent of the IDPs in Maiduguri live in camps. Many families have been displaced several times while others have sought refuge in neighboring countries. Women and girls comprise more than 50 percent of the IDP population in Borno State, while girls and boys 550,000 people in urgent need of food assistance Photo: F. Megaloudi Nigeria - Borno State: Humanitarian Briefing Note five and under, and women and men over 60 years comprise 70 per cent of the total IDP population in the state.

The Boko Haram-related violence has affected the lives of an estimated 14.8 million people across the north-east. Women and girls kidnapped by Boko Haram are subjected to physical and psychological abuse, forced marriage, sexual slavery and forced labour. Boys are forcibly enrolled as combatants and young girls used as suicide bombers. Boko Haram has targeted health facilities and schools, forcing health care workers and teachers to flee.

In 2016, the Nigerian Armed Forces recaptured the main towns and many of the villages in the 27 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Borno State. This has helped to improve humanitarian access, in addition to revealing the vast extent of humanitarian needs amongst civilians in areas previously under the control of Boko Haram. As access continues to improve, new dimensions of suffering and, accordingly, needs are expected to come to light. Without a timely scale-up of life-saving humanitarian assistance in Borno, the humanitarian crisis will deteriorate further.

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