More must be done to protect and ensure the survival of hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes thanks to a Boko Haram-led insurgency in northern Nigeria, according to a key UN offcial.
Noting that the fighting has created more than 2.5 million IDPs in the region, Chaloka Beyani, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of IDPs, said the international community was only starting to get a grip on “the gravity and extent of the crisis, as civilians, including children, leave newly liberated areas”.
“They bear the signs of advanced malnutrition, and of deep trauma, having been caught in a conflict that has cost them their homes, their livelihoods and often their family members,” he said.
He said the situation “must no longer be downplayed” and noted that it was not too late to save many lives, calling for the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to ensure that food, shelter, medical care, water, sanitation and other essential services reach IDPs.
Mr Beyani, who visited IDP camps in the Maiduguri area during a recent four day visit to the region, said the vast majority of the IDPs live outside of camps and received little or no assistance. He noted that people who live in the camps in newly liberated areas may be faring little better, saying food was scarce with many surviving on one basic meal per day and insufficient medical care.
He also expressed his alarm the camps are the setting for the “exploitation and abuse of the most vulnerable”. “Reports indicate that women and girls face demands for sex to access food or to leave the camps,” he said. “Early pregnancy and marriage are commonplace while many do not report abuse due to stigmatization, cultural factors and the knowledge that perpetrators can abuse with impunity. Protection measures must be stepped-up and camps must quickly come under trained civilian management to prevent abuses.”
The special rapporteur’s full report and recommendations will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June next year.
