Insecurity in the Lake Chad Basin - Regional Impact, Situation Report #21, 31 December 2016

Highlights

• In December, WFP provided food and nutrition support to 1.6 people (an increase of 43 percent compared to 1.1 people reached in November) in Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad, of which over one million people in Nigeria (95 percent of WFP’s targeted beneficiaries).
• The Humanitarian Response Plans appeal for a total of USD 1.5 billion to assist 8.2 million people across the Lake Chad Basin.

Situation Update

• According to IOM, as of November 2016, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria now host an estimated 3.7 million people made up of IDPs, refugees (both in and out of camps), returnees and third country nationals. IOM mentions that 82 percent of the affected population is currently located in Nigeria, 9 percent in Cameroon, 6 percent in Niger and 3 percent in Chad. Globally, 62 percent of the displaced population are children and 87 percent of the displaced households have children.
• In Nigeria, due to the multidimensional nature of the crisis, WFP will continue to scale-up cash transfer where appropriate and where markets are functioning. WFP intends to remain flexible in using the most appropriate context-specific transfer modalities as well as delivery mechanisms to address the needs of the affected people. WFP is intensifying efforts to reach its target of 1.8 million people in 2017 in northeast Nigeria despite the insecure context. In addition, WFP is working on monitoring and risk mitigation strategies to secure operations and ensure that emergency food assistance reaches the people in need.
• The impact of the conflicts on population and livelihoods is confirmed by an ACAPS report released on 20 December which notes that a resurgence in Boko Haram violence and the military’s counterinsurgency since November continue to displace populations and hamper food security in Nigeria. The opening up of previously inaccessible areas revealed dire food security, nutrition and livelihood needs. WFP is particularly concerned about people trapped in areas that remain inaccessible and is working with the Government and its partners to have a better understanding of the needs and reach as many people as possible, as soon as possible.
• Also, members of the Food Crisis Prevention Network (RPCA) issued a declaration on 12 December, urging ECOWAS and the international community to respond to the food and nutrition emergency in northeast Nigeria. They called on the Government of Nigeria to step up its efforts in providing secure access for aid organizations in the affected zones.
• In Chad, schools remained closed in December due to nation-wide strike of civil servants, preventing WFP from providing emergency school meals to 25,000 children in the Lake area. Also, ENSA results show that despite good levels of rainfall, the portion of food insecure population in the Lake region increased since 2015, going from 15 to 22 percent and is even poorer among IDPs (35 percent). This deterioration is most likely linked to the disruption of livelihoods caused by insecurity. The Lake area in Chad, in phase two (under pressure), is likely to move onto a phase three classification (crisis level) during the lean season starting in June (291,000 people are expected to be food insecure— phase three and four— during the lean season).
• In Cameroon, Preliminary findings of the Crop and food Security Assessment Mission (CSFAM) point to an overall drop in cereal production in the Far north region compared to last year’s levels, which were already deemed critical.