Nigeria's humanitarian crisis may cause migration waves, warns UN
The conflict in Nigeria's north-east, provoked by the militant group Boko Haram, have resulted in widespread displacement, violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws, protection risks and a growing humanitarian crisis, according to the report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Up to 2.1 million people fled their homes at the height of the conflict, 1.8 million of whom are currently internally displaced while another 0.2 million were in the neighboring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
In the three most affected states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, almost 7 million people, more than 50 percent of whom children were in need of humanitarian assistance.
In newly accessible areas, vulnerable host populations were also in critical need of humanitarian interventions including food, water, sanitation, protection, education, shelter and health services, the OCHA report revealed.
Toby Lanzer, the U.N.'s assistant secretary general and lead humanitarian coordinator for the Sahel, said more than 10 million people were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance near the Lake Chad region, which borders Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
Saying that Nigeria and the Lake Chad region are enduring the worst humanitarian crisis in Africa, the U.N. is launching a more than $1 billion appeal and hopes a conference meeting next month in Oslo, Norway will spur donations, Lanzer said.
About 11 million people were "in desperate need" of aid, about 7.1 million of them were "severely food-insecure," essentially, live on one meal a day. Roughly 515,000 children were or soon will be acutely malnourished, Lanzer said.
"If they don't get the help they need on time, they will die," he said.
In an area already economically deprived, more than 78 percent of internally displaced people are living among host communities. Their lack of access to livelihoods and resources is leading to risky livelihood coping strategies among displaced and host communities alike.
According to an International Organization for Migration (IOM) report, migrant deaths at the Mediterranean Sea has also been on the rise as "the 2017 fatalities figure represents almost a reverse in the pattern of casualties from a year ago, when just 20 deaths occurred on the central Mediterranean Sea route, connecting North Africa to Italy and only five deaths occurring off Spain."
During the first 25 days of last year, migrant deaths at sea rose to 210, lower than this January's report.
The sea crossing from Libya to Italy, operated by human traffickers based in the North African country, is now the main route for migrants bound for Europe. The eastern route between Turkey and Greece draws attention as 185 deaths were reported in 2016 at this time, the IOM report claimed.
According to the U.N., more than 5,000 people died last year, attempting to cross the Mediterranean and reach Europe, most of whom, embarked from the Libyan coast after paying traffickers. This was the highest annual toll ever recorded.
A record 181,000, mainly African boat migrants, reached Italy last year, taking the total number of arrivals, in the past three years, to more than 1.5 million.
Up to 2.1 million people fled their homes at the height of the conflict, 1.8 million of whom are currently internally displaced while another 0.2 million were in the neighboring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
In the three most affected states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, almost 7 million people, more than 50 percent of whom children were in need of humanitarian assistance.
In newly accessible areas, vulnerable host populations were also in critical need of humanitarian interventions including food, water, sanitation, protection, education, shelter and health services, the OCHA report revealed.
Toby Lanzer, the U.N.'s assistant secretary general and lead humanitarian coordinator for the Sahel, said more than 10 million people were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance near the Lake Chad region, which borders Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
Saying that Nigeria and the Lake Chad region are enduring the worst humanitarian crisis in Africa, the U.N. is launching a more than $1 billion appeal and hopes a conference meeting next month in Oslo, Norway will spur donations, Lanzer said.
About 11 million people were "in desperate need" of aid, about 7.1 million of them were "severely food-insecure," essentially, live on one meal a day. Roughly 515,000 children were or soon will be acutely malnourished, Lanzer said.
"If they don't get the help they need on time, they will die," he said.
In an area already economically deprived, more than 78 percent of internally displaced people are living among host communities. Their lack of access to livelihoods and resources is leading to risky livelihood coping strategies among displaced and host communities alike.
According to an International Organization for Migration (IOM) report, migrant deaths at the Mediterranean Sea has also been on the rise as "the 2017 fatalities figure represents almost a reverse in the pattern of casualties from a year ago, when just 20 deaths occurred on the central Mediterranean Sea route, connecting North Africa to Italy and only five deaths occurring off Spain."
During the first 25 days of last year, migrant deaths at sea rose to 210, lower than this January's report.
The sea crossing from Libya to Italy, operated by human traffickers based in the North African country, is now the main route for migrants bound for Europe. The eastern route between Turkey and Greece draws attention as 185 deaths were reported in 2016 at this time, the IOM report claimed.
According to the U.N., more than 5,000 people died last year, attempting to cross the Mediterranean and reach Europe, most of whom, embarked from the Libyan coast after paying traffickers. This was the highest annual toll ever recorded.
A record 181,000, mainly African boat migrants, reached Italy last year, taking the total number of arrivals, in the past three years, to more than 1.5 million.
Last Update: February 01, 2017 22:09