ReliefWeb

The movements of refugee returnees from Banki to Pulka continue and humanitarian groups continue to provide life-saving assistance despite numerous challenges, especially limitations in the water supply. On 27 May, close to 1,300 women, children and men arrived in school buses and trucks, carrying their remaining possessions (such as bicycles, chickens, mattresses, water jugs, and other items).

SITUATION TO DATE (Needs and gaps)

• Another 1,272 persons (330 women, 204 men, 445 girls and 293 boys) arrived in Pulka from Banki at around 14:00 local time on 27 May 2017, escorted by the Nigerian Armed Forces. The arrival had not been officially announced but relief workers in Pulka were expecting it nonetheless thanks to informal communication channels.

• This new arrival in Pulka is in addition to the 1,339 persons who arrived unannounced from Banki on 22 May, also with military escort.

• The latest arrivals bring the current population in Pulka to a total of about 24,000 people. According to WASH experts on the ground, the available water supply in Pulka can only adequately accommodate some 17,000 people and possibilities of increasing the water supply in situ are extremely limited, if not non-existent. Additionally, the security situation in the areas surrounding Pulka remains volatile.

• On 22 May, 2,248 people arrived in Banki on 11 trucks from Cameroon’s Minawao refugee camp. Given reports received from the refugee camps in Cameroon, aid organizations are expecting more refugee returnees to arrive in Banki in the next few days. Currently, more than 42,000 displaced persons are settled in Banki in overcrowded and congested IDP camps. Over 10,000 of them are estimated to be from Pulka.

• Returnees have said their main reason for moving from Banki to Pulka is their desire to return to their homes in Pulka. Therefore, it is expected that many of the newly arrived in Pulka will move out of the camps, after military screening, into the houses they had to leave when fleeing three years ago due to the violence. These returns could trigger secondary displacements of IDPs currently residing in these houses.

• Lack of reliable and timely information or communication on planned movements continues to hamper the ability of humanitarian partners to adequately prepare for new needs.

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS TO DATE (Response)

• Partners on the ground are continuing to provide immediate relief services through registrations, emergency shelter provision, food distributions and WASH services provision. Aid organisations providing these immediate basic services in Pulka include: IOM, MSF, UNICEF/Oxfam, UNHCR, UNICEF, and WFP/SWNI.

• Partners are exploring ways to increase the water supply for families settled in Pulka. Approximately 2 km away from the Pulka IDP camps, four boreholes in need of rehabilitation have been identified; they could provide an adequate amount of water for approximately 2,000 more persons, which would remain insufficient to bridge the current drinking water gap. As these additional boreholes are located outside of the military-secured “green zone”, discussions are ongoing between aid groups and State authorities to expand the secured perimeter so it can include these boreholes.

• For immediate relief, IOM has started building four basic temporary structures to help protect the newly arrived from the rain and the sun.

• NFI and hygiene kits continue to be distributed in Banki and Pulka to the newly arrived.

• The Food Security Sector is coordinating with NRC, WFP, SWNI for additional food distributions in Pulka.

• Nutrition and vaccination assessments have been initiated by MSF and Displacement Management/Shelter (equivalent of CCCM) mobile teams are on the ground ensuring registration and providing psycho-social support where needed.

• As previously reported, 500 IOM emergency shelters that were already planned have been fast-tracked to be delivered and built in Pulka. UNHCR has also sent 300 shelters. Additionally, shelter materials have been delivered to facilitate the reinforcement of existing shelters and the construction of improvised shelters.

• Humanitarian partners continue to advocate for redirecting returnees to Gwoza, where the security situation is more stable and shelter and WASH capacities are much less strained.