Appeal to save the displaced in Nigeria
CHALOKA Beyani, the UN expert on internally displaced persons (IDPs) has called on the international community to act urgently to ensure that the lives of hundreds of thousands of displaced people in north-east Nigeria are saved.
Speaking at the end of a four-day visit to Nigeria, Special Rapporteur Beyani said: “The situation must no longer be downplayed and it is not too late to save many lives.”
“The government must act urgently to ensure that food, shelter, medical care, water, sanitation and other essential services reach IDPs without delay.”
The special rapporteur also expressed concern at the lack of international attention and resources to meet the needs in the region, and called on donors to provide support to meet immediate needs as well as enhance their long-term support in the region.
According to a recent report
by Unicef, Children on the Move, Children Left Behind, in addition to 2.6 million people displaced in the Lake Chad region because of the violence, some 2.2 million people are feared to be trapped in areas under the control of Boko Haram and need humanitarian assistance.
The OHCHR (Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) noted that the situation resulting from the Boko Haram violence, as well as Nigerian government counter-insurgency measures, were indicative of a crisis of the highest category.
It noted that civilians, including children, leaving areas recently liberated by government forces bore the signs of advanced malnutrition and deep trauma and flagged that humanitarian access was limited in some areas due to security concerns.
“Due to a gross underestimation of the crisis, supplies will only cover needs for a very short period and will be soon outstripped by demand,” said Beyani. He said most of the displaced lived outside camps, with little or no assistance, and urgent steps were needed to assess their needs as well as those of the host communities supporting them.
During his visit, the special rapporteur visited IDP camps in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, where he said food was scarce, medical care insufficient and the people in need of urgent protection, psychosocial support and counselling.
Highlighting the direness of the situation in the camps, he spoke of reports of women and girls facing demands for sex to access food or to leave the camps and that early pregnancy and marriage were commonplace.
“Many do not report abuse due to stigmatisation, cultural factors and the knowledge that perpetrators can abuse with impunity,” he noted, calling for protection measures to be stepped up and camps to be quickly placed under trained civilian management to prevent abuses.
The OHCHR also noted positive measures taken by the government, including a plan for rehabilitating north-east Nigeria and the establishment of oversight systems by parliament.
A full report of the special rapporteur along with his recommendations will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June next year. – ANA