Attachments
SITUATION
• In the Lake Chad Basin, prolonged conflict perpetuated by Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-West Africa had internally displaced an estimated 109,000 people in Niger and prompted 120,000 Nigerian refugees to flee into Niger’s Diffa Region as of September. About 42,000 Nigerian refugees were also sheltering in Niger’s Maradi Region, having fled a recent surge in violence in northwestern Nigeria.
• Intercommunal conflict and attacks by armed groups have escalated since 2017 in Niger’s Tahoua and Tillabéri regions, negatively affecting civilians and driving displacement. As of July, an estimated 78,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) resided in Tahoua and Tillabéri; western Niger also hosted approximately 56,000 refugees from Mali, where instability has exacerbated humanitarian needs and caused regional population movements since 2012.
• From October to January, Stressed (IPC 2) and Crisis (IPC 3) levels of acute food insecurity will persist in parts of Diffa and Tillabéri, respectively, as conflict continues to disrupt livelihoods, prompt displacement, and restrict relief activities, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET).* FEWS NET also reports elevated malnutrition levels in Maradi, where host families stretch limited resources to assist large numbers of refugees.
RESPONSE
• USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (FFP) partners with the UN World Food Program (WFP) to assist vulnerable populations in Niger through food distributions, nutrition support, and asset-building activities. FFP also enables the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to deliver ready-to-use therapeutic food to treat severely malnourished children.
• FFP supports non-governmental organization (NGO) Mercy Corps to provide food assistance to 28,000 food-insecure people in Tillabéri through activities in which participating families receive cash transfers in exchange for work on community assets; FFP also partners with an NGO to deliver food vouchers to 16,000 people in need in Diffa.
• To assist approximately 1.2 million people in Maradi and Zinder regions, FFP conducts three long-term development activities with CARE, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), and Save the Children. These activities aim to improve food security among extremely poor, chronically vulnerable households and to strengthen their resilience—the ability to cope with and recover from shocks and stresses. As integral components of the USAID Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE) II initiative, these interventions work across many sectors, including agriculture, health, livelihoods, nutrition, and sanitation.