West and Central Africa: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (20 - 26 February 2018)

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

HERDERS’ MIGRATION SPARK TENSION, DISPLACEMENT

Around 350 people in the northern Ouham prefecture have fled their villages to the nearby Batangafo town after the arrival of pastoralists sparked fear and tension. Villagers are reportedly unable to go to their farms into which the migratory herders have driven their cattle. Other villagers have been emptied due to the herders’ presence. Clashes between herders and farmers are common in the country, resulting in displacements, injuries and deaths.

DR CONGO

TWENTY-ONE POLIO CASES REPORTED

Health authorities have recorded 21 polio cases since the beginning of the year. Haut Lomami and Tanganyika provinces account for 20 cases. The Ministry of Health said the cases are not linked to the wild polio virus strain, but due to children not being or insufficiently vaccinated with the oral polio vaccine.

96,000 NEONATAL DEATHS RECORDED EVERY YEAR

Some 96,000 children die each year during their first month in the DRC, according to a UNICEF report released on 20 February. This places the DRC among the four countries with the highest number of neonatal deaths in the world. Premature birth complications, asphyxia and neonatal infections account for over 80 per cent of the deaths, according to the report. The situation is aggravated by conflicts and crises that prevent pregnant women from receiving adequate health care during pregnancy or after birth.

NIGER

THOUSANDS MORE ABANDON SCHOOLS

Over 2,000 more children have abandoned school due to food and pasture shortages in Agadez, Maradi, Tahoua and Zinder regions, according to education authorities. Two weeks earlier, more than 1,000 children in Zinder quit schools. The children are migrating with their families in search of pasture. The country has registered around 11 million tons of fodder deficit this year due to drought. In 2017, an assessment by the Ministry of Education found that 33,158 children were affected in Maradi, Tahoua,
Zinder and Agadez regions during a pastoral crisis.

FUNDING SHORTFALL CURTAIL FOOD ASSISTANCE

Around 2,800 food insecure people in N’Guigmi in south-eastern Diffa region are no longer receiving food assistance due to funding shortages, aid actors report. Local authorities and humanitarian organisations fear that food security will worsen. Less than 25 per cent of families in N’Guigmi can afford three meals a day. Initial findings of a recent national survey showed that 485,000 people are severely food insecure and 2.1 million people are moderately food insecure. Severe food insecurity has more than doubled since 2015, rising from 1.1 per cent of the rural population to 2.6 per cent.

NIGERIA

BOMBING KILLS 18, INJURES 21

Three individuals strapped with explosives on 16 February struck a busy market in Konduga town in Borno state, killing at least 18 people and injuring 21 others. Konduga hosts more than 130,000 IDPs. Civilians, including the displaced, have repeatedly come under such attacks.