Humanitarian Crisis in Nigeria
One of the biggest issues facing Nigeria during this conflict is humanitarian access constraints across the northeast. Due to the nature of this conflict, humanitarian aid organizations have had trouble providing the necessary care required to help the affected communities. This has been an ongoing challenge despite a significant change in conflict dynamics. The conflict shifted from organized, large-scale attacks characterized by prolonged armed clashes to more sporadic attacks such as suicide bombings. This shift is directly linked to Boko Haram’s significant loss of ground in 2016. It has limited the humanitarian operational space across the northeast while also limiting those in need from accessing vital services. This is such a layered issue, in fact, this is all happening in conjunction with internal displacement and the “return movement” straining resources. In addition, key infrastructure such as health, education, and livelihood facilities remain significantly damaged from the ongoing conflict. The shift in conflict dynamics is likely to remain and continue to limit the access and create food insecurity and health issues.
Crisis drivers:
- Increased sporadic attacks: The nature of sporadic attacks leads to prolonged restricted access because aid organizations have no way of knowing when or how to access the vulnerable populations, or who they even are. In addition, sporadic attacks (like suicide bombings) make it almost impossible to stay neutral and safe.
- Returnees and IDPs: High numbers of IDPs and the steady flow of returnees continue to strain resources
- Damaged infrastructure: caused by ongoing conflict has compounded needs across sectors including health, education, livelihoods, and food security.
There was a shift in conflict dynamics when the Nigerian government prematurely announced the defeat of Boko Haram (BH), with an increase of suicide bombings and IED attacks by the armed group. Despite the claimed victory, the number of security incidents has stayed at the same level seen in 2016, but with a shift away from organized, large-scale attacks. The two most notable conventional attacks occurred in September in Bama and Logumani where BH launched significant forces at government force outposts. This can be seen as an indicator of BH’s ongoing military capacity in the northeast (although it may be limited). BH has significantly increased the number of suicide
bombings that have used children and infants to carry out the attacks compared to the past three years. This is an indicator that as BH moves more toward improvised tactics as they are becoming increasingly indiscriminate,
raising further protection concerns.
This shift in tactics continues to restrict humanitarian access across the northeast, especially in Borno state,
limiting aid workers from reaching those in need and also preventing those populations from accessing vital
services such as health facilities. Humanitarian access outside of Local Government Area HQs is still very limited by the security situation and therefore people living in more rural communities are often unreachable. The number of returnees from Cameroon, Niger, and Chad is low but steadily exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the northeast with the capacities of both host communities and humanitarian response becoming strained. The returnee influx has been associated with pull factors regarding the perceived improvement in the
security situation.
The number of IDPs across the northeast has seen a slight decline this year as individuals return to their place of origin. However, over 1.7 million people remain displaced and the majority of IDPs are located within
Borno state in areas with limited humanitarian access.
This crisis is so layered that it’s hard to even keep up with all the facets of cultural life that is being destroyed due to this conflict. The conflict in the northeast has significantly damaged key infrastructure, particularly education
and health facilities. Despite ongoing repairs to these facilities, there is still a significant gap between capacity
and need. Essentially, the conflict is exacerbating itself at this point! Furthermore, attacks on health facilities continue to compound the issue because neither the affected community nor health officials want to be in a targeted area (which is sad because health facilities are supposed to be a neutral space). Disease outbreaks this year, notably hepatitis E and cholera, have been exacerbated by this exact issue.
Overall, the conflict has had a significant impact on food security in the northeast, limiting production and also food
availability in local markets. The main concerns now are 1) humanitarian aid workers somehow getting access to the vulnerable populations, and 2) getting basic necessities like FOOD and MEDICINE to the affected community.
Unfortunately, the local NGO’s who actually do have access to the affected populations are mostly corrupt and preying on the vulnerabilities of those in need. Thousands of human rights violations by fake local NGO’s have been reported in the last year.
This crisis is ongoing and very likely to be ongoing for many years as the conflict has only sped up with time.