The humanitarian organization International Rescue Committee (IRC) has expressed concern about the humanitarian impact of growing insecurity in northwest Nigeria due to conflict between various armed groups. In Zamfara and Sokoto states, armed attacks in March and April have displaced more than 10,000 people and killed at least 92, while many others have been kidnapped, the IRC said.
The violence is occurring not far from areas where the IRC and its partners are operating, the non-governmental organization (NGO) said in a statement Wednesday. The NGO, one of the few active in the northwest, is currently working in Zamfara and Katsina states and supporting the work of partner organizations in Sokoto in northwest Nigeria.
As a result of these attacks and the resulting displacement, many people are living in the open with minimal belongings and without basic necessities. More than half of the people affected by the attacks are women, putting them at risk of exploitation and abuse.
“We are appalled by the brutal attacks on civilian men, women and children, which is yet another reminder of the violence that has become unacceptably common in northwest Nigeria,” said Babatunde Ojei, IRC country director in Nigeria.
The IRC said urgent humanitarian assistance was needed to meet the basic needs of displaced communities, particularly water and sanitation, health and protection services, and called on all parties to uphold the protection of civilians and relevant humanitarian law.
The north-central and north-western zones of Nigeria face a complex crisis of long-standing ethnic and religious tensions, often resulting in attacks and banditry. Criminal groups carry out kidnappings and thefts along major highways.
The regions have long been terrorized by armed groups operating from hidden bases, raiding villages to loot and kidnap residents for ransom. Organized criminal groups, known locally as bandits, have carried out widespread killings and kidnappings in several states.
These groups emerged after years of conflict between nomadic herders and farming communities. In recent years, this crisis has escalated, causing widespread displacement in these regions. In recent years, more than 600,000 people have been displaced from their homes in the regions as a result of extreme violence, deteriorating economic conditions and climate change.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), there are approximately 1.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in north-central and north-western Nigeria. Most have been forced to flee their homes due to armed banditry.
Earlier this year, the international humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctor Without Borders, MSF) warned that despite the severity of the crisis in the northwest, the situation was being largely ignored by donors and aid agencies. MSF said that the funding and aid currently available are woefully inadequate to meet the growing humanitarian needs of the affected population.
The humanitarian organization warned that while both the northeast and northwest regions remain affected by high levels of malnutrition and preventable diseases, the non-inclusion of the northwest in Nigeria's Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is alarming. The humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria is being addressed.
A Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is a document that outlines a coordinated response to a humanitarian crisis. It is developed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in consultation with the government of the affected country, other UN agencies, and NGOs.
Funding for most aid agencies depends heavily on the HRP. The country-specific plan provides a strategic overview of the crisis, identifies the most urgent needs, and outlines the planned response. The Humanitarian Response Plan also includes a financial appeal to donors to support the implementation of the plan.
According to this year's HRP, 7.9 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Nigeria, but it only covers the north-eastern part of the country.
Nigeria, Africa's largest economy and most populous country with over 223.8 million people, faces increasing violence from Islamic militants, particularly in the northeast, as well as large-scale criminal banditry concentrated in the northwest, communal violence between Christians and Muslims in the middle belt region, and competition for land and resources throughout the country.
Ongoing conflict, banditry, violence, the effects of climate change, escalating inflation, and the rising cost of both food and essential non-food commodities are driving food insecurity nationwide. Nigerian authorities - at both the state and federal levels - have failed to protect their citizens from the violence.
Between June and August 2024, about 31.8 million people in Nigeria are expected to face high levels of food insecurity, according to the latest Cadre Harmonisé analysis of food insecurity. The 2024 projection shows a sharp increase from the 25 million people currently at risk of food insecurity from March to May 2024.
Approximately 9 million children are at risk of acute malnutrition or wasting. Of these, an alarming 2.6 million children could face severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and require critical therapeutic treatment, including more than 530,000 in the northwest states of Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara.
Further information
Full text: Northwest Nigeria: 10,000 people displaced as a result of conflict in the last two months are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, warns IRC, International Rescue Committee, press release published May 8, 2024
https://www.rescue.org/press-release/northwest-nigeria-10000-people-displaced-result-conflict-last-two-months-are-urgent