West and Central Africa: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (19 - 26 December 2017)

CHAD

OVER 4,000 TO RETURN FROM DARFUR REFUGE

Around 300 Chadians left Sudan’s Darfur region on 18 December to return to home after more than a decade in refuge. They were the first group of some 4,000 Chadians ready to return home, according to UNHCR. The agency said that around 1,000 are expected to go back to their villages in Chad’s eastern Sila region by the end of the year. They had fled the two-year violence that erupted in 2005. Those who choose to remain in Darfur will continue to receive assistance. Chad itself hosts more than 300,000 people from Darfur living in camps in the east of the country.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

WAVE OF ATTACKS ON AID WORKERS

Five attacks against humanitarian workers were recorded in the week that ended on 17 December in the northern Kaga Bandoro town. Aid operations and movement remained restricted. The UN force, MINUSCA, has reinforced patrols in aid workers’ residential areas. Separately, in and around Paoua town in the north-east, several armed robberies, including on premises of humanitarian workers, were recorded on 15 and 16 December. The town has seen an increase in the presence of armed elements despite being declared a weapons-free zone in 2016.

DR CONGO

ASSAILANTS RAID CAMP, KILL THREE

Armed attackers on 13 December raided Mpati IDP site in North Kivu province, killing three people and wounding three others. The assailants also looted valuables. The ambush drove hundreds of displaced people into the bushes for safety. The site hosts around 25,000 displaced people who face the risk of recurrent attacks by armed groups.

NIGER

HUMANITARIAN NEEDS ON THE RISE

Around 2.3 million people will require humanitarian assistance in 2018, 400,000 more than in 2017. Needs have increased across all sectors except shelter and basic household items. The number of people in need of protection has nearly tripled from 240,000 to 689,000 owing to the inclusion of all those in need across the country as opposed to only those in the conflict-hit Diffa region. The humanitarian community has requested US$338 million to provide assistance in 2018.

NIGERIA

CHOLERA OUTBREAK DECLARED OVER

Health authorities in Borno on 21 December declared the end of a cholera outbreak that erupted in August. No new cases had been reported for over two weeks. The last case was recorded on 5 December. The disease infected more than 5,000 people and killed 61. Aid groups mounted a rapid response to bring the outbreak under control. Preventive measures such as good hygiene practices, water chlorination and emptying latrines will be maintained.

OVER 6,000 FRESHLY DISPLACED IN NORTH-EAST

More than 6,000 people have been displaced by recent armed attacks and military counter-offensives in several localities of Borno state, mainly in Nganzai, Gwoza and Konduga localities. The increase in attacks and military operations coincide with the start of the dry season when movement is easier. Humanitarian organisations are stepping up food, shelter and medical assistance as well as providing basic household items to the displaced