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Nigeria: Violence causes death and displacement in central and northern Nigeria
Since January more than 2,000 people have fled from the north-eastern town of Maiduguri following attacks by the Boko Haram Islamist sect. In central and northern Nigeria since the beginning of the year, violent attacks against civilians, suspected to be perpetrated by Boko Haram, the ensuing police and military crackdowns, have occurred on an almost daily basis. These incidents have resulted in death, the destruction of property and the displacement of people from their homes. While large numbers of Nigerians have found refuge in the south of the country, thousands of migrants from Chad and Niger have headed back home.
Since February 26th, such incidents include two suicide attacks on churches in the central Nigerian city of Jos that killed at least 10 people and injured dozens, strikes on police stations in the northern localities of Konduga, Ashaka, Kano and Mandawari and the torching of at least ten schools. Attacks on schools represent a new development in an increasingly violent campaign that has previously targeted mainly Christians or government structures. Violence by Boko Haram, which means “Western education is forbidden”, has claimed more than 1,000 lives since 2010, according to Human Rights Watch.
In a separate development, renewed clashes over land access and ownership between Fulani herdsmen and Tiv peasants in Benue State, central Nigeria, have also left several people dead and forced thousands to flee. Fearing that the crisis would spill over several residents of neighbouring town in Nasarawa state have sought refuge in a primary school that has been used as a temporary shelter by IDPs for several months.
See also: IDMC Nigeria country page
Yemen: At the crossroads of an “humanitarian catastrophe”
Tribal clashes in northern Yemen have displaced some 52,000 people in the past three months. This figure adds to the 314,000 already displaced from Sa’ada governorate since February 2010. In the south, at least 1,800 people have been newly displaced in the last three weeks following an escalation of fighting in Abyan governorate, adding to the 150,000 people internally displaced since the beginning of May 2011. UNHCR and OCHA have raised further concerns over 120,000 people at risk of displacement as the fighting intensifies.
Conditions continue to be severe for displaced populations. An estimated ten per cent of IDPs have sought refuge in camps and ninety per cent within the host community, where coping strategies are becoming increasing strained. Shelter remains one of several considerable challenges. In Aden, 74 public schools shelter over 20,000 IDPs many of whom face the threat of cholera/diarrhea due to poor hygiene and inadequate water and sanitation facilities Further to this, WFP reveals alarming levels of severe hunger indicating that 45 percent of the Yemeni population do not have enough to eat. Oxfam has recently suggested that Yemen is at the crossroads of an “humanitarian catastrophe”.
Despite substantial recent increases, as of 19th March funding against the 2012 Response Plan for Yemen is only at 17 per cent with some sectors, such as education and protection, still standing at zero funding.
See also: IDMC Yemen country page
Syria: One year on, internal displacement in Syria increasingly critical
According to the Syrian Red Crescent (SRCS), over 200,000 people have become internally displaced since the Syrian uprisings which started in April 2011. However, accurate figures on internal displacement are increasingly difficult to ascertain due to government imposed restrictions preventing international agencies from reaching displaced populations.
The humanitarian situation for IDPs has reached critical levels. Security forces’ tactics have included sealing off the cities of Dara'a, Hama, Homs and Idlib, cutting off electricity, water and food supplies and using heavy armament. Such measures have resulted in an indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force against civilians. Further to this, reports of security forces laying mines along Syrian borders, which endangers civilians seeking refuge outside of the country, means that the options for displaced individuals are becoming increasingly limited.
See also: IDMC Syria country page