Attachments
Sub-regional Humanitarian Overview
Throughout North East Nigeria and across the border regions in Cameroon, Chad and Niger, children are in critical danger. Insecurity caused by the conflict between the armed group Jama’atuAhlisSunna Lidda’awatiwal-Jihad(JAS), commonly known as ‘Boko Haram’, military forces and civilian self-defense groups in North East Nigeria has escalated into a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The violence has triggered major population movements across borders. Over 1.5 million people –including 800,000 children –have fled violence.In Nigeria alone, the number of internally displaced people has almost doubled in less than a year, from an estimated 647,000 in May 2014 to over 1.3 million. More than 200,000 refugees and returnees have crossed into neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger after their villages were attacked or threatened.
Refugees, returnees and internally displaced populations
•Nigeria: 1,301,763
•Niger: 100,000 displaced persons from Nigeria, including nearly 48,000 children
•Chad: 43,000
•Cameroon: 151,000
Children are bearing the brunt of the conflict. In Nigeria, children make up around 56 per cent of the internally displaced population. In Niger, 48 per cent of all refugees and returnees are children; and in Cameroon 60 per cent of the over 34,000 refugees in Minawao are children. This year, there has been a dramatic rise in violence, growing reports of recruitment and use of children in suicide bombings as well as abductions and attacks on schools.
The situation in Nigeria and bordering countries has developed from a localisedemergency into a highly visible and complex, cross-border humanitarian and protection crisis. The vast majority (over 90 per cent) are staying in host communities, putting additional strain on already overstretched health, education and social services and are in need of greater humanitarian support.