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Populations in the northeast remain highly dependent on humanitarian assistance for food access
KEY MESSAGES
• An elevated risk of Famine (IPC Phase 5) continues in northeast Nigeria, where in addition to directly leading to loss of life, ongoing Boko Haram conflict continues to significantly limit food availability and access. Large populations have lost their livelihoods, and many remain highly dependent on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic food needs. Furthermore, areas of Borno State remain inaccessible to humanitarian actors, and in many instances populations are congregated in larger cities away from their homes.
• Large populations in Borno State and some surrounding areas of Yobe and Adamawa States remain heavily dependent on humanitarian assistance for food access.
The worst-affected populations are facing Emergency (IPC Phase 4), with a high risk of acute malnutrition and elevated mortality related to food insecurity. Extreme levels of acute food insecurity are possible in a worst-case scenario where displaced populations become cutoff due to a shift in conflict and emergency assistance provision is halted, a situation similar to what occurred in Bama LGA during the first half of 2016.
• Humanitarian actors have continued to scale-up assistance across the three northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe, reaching more than 3,200,000 conflict-affected people with food and nonfood assistance in July 2017. However, more populations are yet to be reached and remain vulnerable in several areas of the northeast during the peak of the lean season period.
• The main agricultural season is progressing favorably in most of the country, and harvests are expected to be average to above-average in most areas due to improved access to inputs, as well as funding and technical support from the government. Most poor households are consuming own food stocks and are facing Minimal (IPC Phase 1) acute food insecurity. Exceptions are households affected by the Boko Haram conflict or in areas affected by flooding, where harvest prospects are limited.