North-East Nigeria: Humanitarian Situation Update, October 2017

OPERATIONAL OVERVIEW

8.5 MILLION PEOPLE IN NEED OF LIFE-SAVING ASSISTANCE IN 2017
6.9 MILLION PEOPLE TARGETED FOR LIFE-SAVING ASSISTANCE IN 2017

The humanitarian crisis in north-east Nigeria remains severe due to ongoing conflict, continued internal displacement and the unpredictable return of refugees from neighbouring countries. In October, over 180 Nigerian refugees returned from Niger, and new arrivals were recorded in Gwoza (1,749), Kukawa (498), Ngala (374) and Dikwa (250). Humanitarian organisations have mobilised to immediately provide shelter and non-food items to the newly-arrived, with support from the rapid response mechanism in some locations.

Attacks against civilians – including suicide bombings in and near sites for internally displaced persons (IDPs) – continue to be a major concern. At least seven person-borne explosive device attacks took place in October in Borno. The most significant incident happened on 22 October, when a coordinated attack by two suicide bombers in the outskirts of Maiduguri killed about 20 civilians and injured a dozen others. In rural areas, attacks are also ongoing with at least 25 reported incidents in the southern and eastern parts of Borno State: various villages were looted and/or set ablaze, and at least 20 women were abducted in the Chibok and Damboa local government areas (LGAs).

Among the major developments in October, the containment of the cholera outbreak in Maiduguri, Monguno, Dikwa and Mafa was made possible thanks to the combined efforts of local government and various sectors, in particular Health and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH); while new cases continue to be reported, especially in Guzamala, the last cholera-related death was recorded on 10 October.

In addition, with the start of the dry season, humanitarian organisations have regained access to locations that had been inaccessible due to flooding for several months, in particular Ngala and Rann. The dry season has also allowed the work on “deep field” humanitarian hubs to accelerate and, to date, five out of the nine planned hubs are complete and the remaining four are expected to be fully operational by early 2018. As these hubs offer secure accommodation and internet connectivity for aid workers, they are instrumental in supporting effective last-mile aid delivery and enhancing local coordination.

As the year draws to a close and in preparation of 2018 planning and programming, part of the month of October was dedicated by sectors and humanitarian partners to carrying out in-depth joint needs assessments. The findings are to feed into the Humanitarian Needs Overview and the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan, both of which are to be finalised by mid-December.

Some of the released preliminary results point to an improvement in agricultural production in the north-east (in particular for maize, millet and rice) and up to 10 per cent increase of the land under cultivation compared to 2016. However, while this will most likely translate into progress in the food security situation in the north-east throughout 2018, many areas remain inaccessible to farmers and pastoralists and humanitarian assistance will still be required for many.