Following the renew violence in Nigeria’s north-east, more than 80,000 have been forcibly displaced in addition to the two million in similar situation since 2009 when Boko Haram terrorists struck.
Many of the displaced Nigerians across the borders of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, fled to neighouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger as refugees.
No fewer than 7.7 million people in the region now require urgent life-saving assistance.
Since 2009, the north-east of Nigeria has been in the grip of a civil conflict triggered by Boko Haram, Islamists, which has now spilled over borders across the whole Lake Chad region.
This has resulted in widespread displacement, violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, and protection risks for increasing numbers of civilians, which has added up to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
The resurgence of Boko Haram in November 2018 has made the efforts to resettle and rehabilitate victims of the conflicts increasing difficult.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has confirmed the recent displacement.
OCHA said a recent upsurge in clashes between non-state armed groups and the state security forces was forcing UN agencies and their partners to reassess the needs on the ground.
The UN agency said a 90-day plan was in the works to ratchet up the response, especially across the worst-affected state of Borno, to meet the immediate needs of an estimated 312,000 men, women and children.
“To date, about 200,000 people are estimated to be Nigerian refugees or asylum seekers, living in Cameroon, Niger and Chad,” the UN agency said.
The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), also raised the alarm over a recent new influx of Nigerian asylum seekers and refugees in Chad.
“Since 26 December, when the town of Baga on the Nigerian side of the Lake Chad was attacked by jihadists, around 6,000 have been forced on the run.
“Many of them paddled for three hours across the water to arrive in the lakeside Chadian village of Ngouboua, some 20 kilometres from the Nigerian border,” the UN refugee agency said.
UNHCR and the Chadian authorities are carrying out registration and pre-screening of new arrivals to evaluate their needs.
It said an overwhelming majority of the new arrivals are women and children and, according to initial information, about 55 per cent of them are minors.
Having suffered major casualty, Nigerian military has mobilised and deployed new fighting equipment, including air and sea forces, to curtain the resurgence of violence.
The Acting Commander Sector 2, Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Brig.- Gen Mohammed Dala, confirmed that the Troops of 27 Task Force Brigade and Nigerian Army Special Forces, have cleared jihadists from Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe.
Dala commended the troops as gallant who are in high spirit and battle ready to crush any incursion by Boko Haram terrorists.
The commendation was as a result of doggedness and decisiveness in inflicting maximum casualty on suspected Boko Haram terrorist who attempted to launch an attack on a military base in Buni Yadi, on Jan. 20.
Dala, who was highly elated with the performance of the troops and the level of casualty inflicted on the terrorist, reiterated the need for such combat feat to be sustained.
