Attachments
206,033
Nigerian refugees displaced by the insurgency in Cameroon, Chad and Niger as of 31 March 2018 (or latest figures available).
2,193,769
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, the number of security incidents rose considerably. Among these was an attack on the town of Rann in Borno State, which claimed the lives of 10 people and wounded many others. Ten other suicide bombings and four attacks as well as IED explosions were recorded in Borno and Yobe states, targeting civilian and military infrastructures, predominantly in communities hosting the displaced. Meanwhile, the Government has continued to report progress in its efforts to neutralize the insurgency but the frequency and manner in which attacks are being carried out suggests the situation is going to worsen in the coming weeks. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of more than 20,000 people and the displacement of millions in and out of the country since it started more than nine years ago. In Maiduguri and Damaturu, road travel has been suspended for all United Nations (UN) staff but for its part, the Maiduguri-Bama-Banki axis was reopened after four years of closure. UN staff will continue to access Bama and Banki from Maiduguri using UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) flights.
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In Cameroon’s Far North region, security conditions deteriorated, with military elements and infrastructures targeted, especially in the Logone-et-Chari department, despite a higher number of troops positioned at the border. This has continued to affect UNHCR’s protection interventions as many zones remain inaccessible. In Chad, the month was marked by a mass deployment of troops from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) to the Lake area on 12 March. On the Niger side, the mission is being carried out jointly between the MNJTF and the Niger Defense and Security Forces (FDS). Troops are operating in the border area between Niger and Nigeria (in the localities of Ngouboua, Tchoukoutalia, Daboua, Kaiga-Kinjiria and Bohoma). As a result, most humanitarian activities have been put on a hold and those taking place do so with the use of escorts.
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In Niger there continued to be attacks targeting civilians and criminal activities aimed at acquiring food, medication, equipment etc. It is expected Boko Haram will pose an increasingly high risk to UN interests and humanitarian aid workers in the region in the coming weeks. ¡ In Cameroon, incursions and attacks carried out on the Nigerian border lead to considerable population movements. As a result, over 2,100 new refugee arrivals were registered at Gourounguel transit centre during the month. They were all transferred to Minawao camp where they are receiving material assistance and shelter. ¡ In Niger, the biometric registration exercise for displaced persons and refugees in the Diffa region came to an end. A total of 193,475 persons have been registered, which is equivalent to 77 per cent of the target, based on the Niger Government’s October 2017 figure.
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In Nigeria’s Borno State, UNHCR and the National Identification Management Commission (NIMC) finalised a birth registration and documentation exercise which benefited 30,200 persons of concern in Gwoza and Pulka.
Elsewhere, internally displaced persons (IDPs) were enrolled to receive ID cards. In the Dalori 1 IDP camp in Maiduguri, all IDPs were enrolled and given National Identification numbers.