Attachments
203,899
Nigerian refugees displaced by the insurgency in Cameroon, Chad and Niger as of 28 February 2018
(or latest figures available).
2,181,218
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the region displaced by the insurgency
(or latest figures available)
FUNDING
USD 161.1 M
requested for the Nigeria situation
Funded 8%
12.7 M
Funding gap 92%
148.4 M
HIGHLIGHTS AND OPERATIONAL CONTEXT
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Security: In Nigeria, there were over 60 Boko Haram-related security incidents in Maiduguri as well as in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States. Among the most prominent incidents was the abduction of over 100 secondary school girls from Dapchi in Yobe State. In addition to civilian and military casualties, internally displaced persons (IDPs) were killed in suicide attacks carried out in camps. As a result of Nigeria’s counter-insurgency measures, the number of revenge attacks is reported to be on the rise and road travel has remained strictly limited in the Maiduguri vicinity. UNHCR staff members working in the IDP camps have been advised to exercise extreme caution. In Cameroon, security conditions remained volatile in the Far North and the average number of attacks (10 per week) remained the same as in January. Despite increased Cameroonian military presence, kidnappings, theft and pillaging continue. This has negatively affected UNHCR’s protection and assistance response as staff movement is restricted in several areas. In Chad, although no major attacks were reported, Boko Haram elements continue to infiltrate villages, disguised as fishermen, especially in the Ngouboua sub-prefecture and small scale incursions take place sporadically, affecting local populations and security forces. In Niger, although very few casualties were reported, there was an alarming increase in the number of abductions in the Diffa region, instilling once again a climate of fear and paranoia in the region.
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In Nigeria, 915 Nigerians are reported to have returned from Cameroon’s Far North region to Banki and Ngala, in Borno State. The majority said their returns were voluntary and cited reunification with their families and poor living conditions in asylum areas as reasons for their return. These movements brought the total number of returnees from Cameroon to 1,225 individuals since the beginning of the year. (continued on page 2)
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In Cameroon, the Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) for Humanitarian Affairs, Ms. Ursula Mueller, travelled to Cameroon on 23 February, to familiarize herself with the situation of Nigerian refugees in the Far North and to draw attention to the deteriorating security conditions and steadily increasing humanitarian needs that have yet to be met. She drew attention to the fact that 60 suicide attacks were conducted in the Far North in 2017, a twofold increase compared to the previous year. She also said that funding remains the biggest challenge and that people will go hungry if more means are not made available. Her mission went onwards to Chad, where she expressed the need for durable solutions to the crisis in the Lac region. She voiced how moved she was by the solidarity of host communities who have shared the little they have with those who have left everything behind. Please follow these links for the Cameroon and Chad press releases.
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In Niger, the biometric registration of displaced populations and refugees in the Diffa region continued. To date a total of 138,214 persons have been registered (40,097 households). This figure is equivalent to half of the total number of displaced people identified by the Niger government as of October 2017.