HUMANITARIAN NEEDS AND KEY FIGURES
The crisis in north-east Nigeria is one of the most severe in the world today. Across the six affected states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba, 10.2 million people are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2018, of whom 52 per cent are women and girls, and 48 per cent are men and boys. Children constitute 63 per cent of those needing assistance. The most acute humanitarian needs are clearly concentrated in Borno State – and areas bordering Borno in Adamawa and Yobe states – where the crisis shows no sign of abating.
1- Protection of civilians North-east Nigeria is facing a severe protection crisis in which civilians living in conflictaffected areas suffer from grave violations of human rights and dignity. Since the start of the conflict, more than 20,000 people have been killed, more than 4,000 women and girls abducted, and more than 2 million people forcibly displaced.
Particularly in Borno State, ongoing hostilities and military strategies have resulted in severe restrictions in freedom of movement, which have devastated livelihoods and rendered civilians extremely vulnerable.
2. Humanitarian access Humanitarian access in conflict-affected areas, particularly Borno State, continues to be constrained by various factors. This includes restrictions on the movement of aid workers and civilians.
Three LGAs remain hard to reach and 19 LGAs are only partially accessible to international humanitarian actors. Other key constraints to access include ongoing hostilities and violent attacks, a challenging physical environment (in particular during the rainy season) and bureaucratic impediments.
3. Basic survival Millions of people in Nigeria’s northeast need assistance to ensure their basic survival. An estimated 3.9 million people are food insecure, and more than 400,000 children suffer from severe acute malnutrition. Only 30 per cent of health facilities are functional in Borno State, where malaria is endemic and cholera and other diseases affect the population regularly, often in life-threatening ways.
4. Essential services and infrastructure Public services and the institutions that provide them have collapsed in areas where conflict has raged. Nearly half a million homes and 700 public buildings have been destroyed by the conflict, along with 1,200 schools, nearly 800 health facilities, and 1,600 water supply sources. More than half of all children in the north-east are out of school. In Borno State, the vast majority of public servants have not yet returned to conflict-affected areas, in part because they remain inhospitable.
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.