Women and children fleeing from Boko Haram attacks sit at Kabalewa Refugees Camp, Diffa in Niger Republic, on March 13, 2015. Governor of northeastern Nigerian Borno State Kashim Shettima recently visited refugee camps where Nigerians fleeing from Boko Haram Islamists attacks are sheltered in Diffa province of Niger Republic. More than 13,000 people have been killed and some 1.5 million made homeless in the Boko Haram conflict since 2009, while recent cross-border attacks from Boko Haram bases in Nigeria on neighbouring countries have increased security fears. AFP PHOTO
The United Nations has said that there is humanitarian crisis in the 16 local government areas liberated from Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East.
The immediate past UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Safieldin, who noted that he made on-the-spot assessment of some of the liberated local governments, including Bama, Damboa, Monguno, Konduga, Dikwa, Gwoza, Pulka, and Banki, said: “You cannot imagine the level of physical destruction of all the basic facilities such as hospitals, water supply system, schools and the homes of the individual poor people.
“It is a real humanitarian crisis in terms of the number and availability of humanitarian aid at the moment.”
He added that no fewer than 30,000 metric tonnes of food was required monthly to feed the internally-displaced persons, IDPs, caused by the Boko Haram insurgency.
He lamented that the monthly requirement was currently not being met.
“The available humanitarian aid at the moment is inadequate, whether it is coming from the government or the international community,” he added.
He said IDPs living in formal camps in Maiduguri represented only 10 per cent of the population adding that 90 per cent of them live in host communities.
“About 90 per cent of the IDPs live in host communities in Maiduguri and other urban and rural areas and they have been suffering— they do not have enough food, medical care and shelter.”
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