ReliefWeb

Highlights

• In 2017, displaced and returnee population as well as impoverished host communities in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are most affected by the conflict in north east Nigeria and in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

• Over 131,000 children (33 per cent of annual target) with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) have been admitted to therapeutic feeding programmes in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. Cure rate is 86 per cent.

• Nearly 669,000 people have access to safe water and 987,000 have access to improved sanitation.

• UNICEF supported Primary Health Care services have, so far, reached more than 3.35 million children.

• With UNICEF support 5,722 unaccompanied and separated children have been supported through case management and alternative care arrangements.

• Nearly 93,000 children are accessing education and 157,000 have benefitted from learning materials.

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

The October 2016 Cadre Harmonisé, covering 16 states in north Nigeria, indicates an extremely worrisome food security and nutrition situation. The epicentre of the crisis remains in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States, where 4.6 million people are estimated to be food insecure (phase 3-5), with 55,000 in extreme food insecurity (Phase 5).

In conflict affected areas, women, children, elderly, persons with disability and minority groups require specific attention. Several reports and assessments have revealed that limited access to humanitarian assistance and services has contributed to negative coping mechanisms and sexual abuse and exploitation including in IDP camps in Maiduguri.

In the past couple of weeks the number of attacks on civilians has increased, and there are concerns that the use of suicide bombers may continue targeting crowded areas to maximise fatalities and create fear. In 2016 Borno state, which is the epicentre of humanitarian crisis has witnessed the maximum number of security incidents from January to December 2016- 292 incidents resulting in 2,378 fatalities.

According to the preliminary results of the Humanitarian Needs Overview, 8.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance including 1.68 million IDPs, most of them children in the three most directly affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. The focus of the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan will remain on these three states. This is also in line with the findings from the most recent Displacement Tracking Matrix which indicated that Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are hosting the highest numbers of IDPs and returnees in need of critical life-saving humanitarian assistance. There are 149 formal (20%) and informal camps (80%) in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. The DTM findings also showed that in 116 sites IDPs practice open defecation, in 86 sites no regular malnutrition screening is conducted and in 59 sites children have no access to education.