Insurgency: 7 Million People In North-east Need Humanitarian Assistance-UN

The United Nations, UN, on Friday said that more than seven million people displaced by  Boko Haram in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

According to a statement by UN Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, on humanitarian situation in Northeast.

The UN lamented that a total of 38 UN and NGO workers, most of them Nigerians, have been killed since 2011, stressing that 10 aid workers have died as a result of the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram and other non-state armed groups in the past 18 months.

The UN stressed that this year alone, the resurgence of Boko Haram has led to the force displacement of 140,000 people, while three million people have become food insecure.

Lowcock said: “I am clear that military and security measures against the insurgents are a necessary and legitimate part of the response led by the Nigerian authorities.

“Military action needs to be proportionate and avoid adding to the plight of civilians, huge numbers of whom have suffered terribly as a result of the actions of the terrorists and insurgents.

“And military action on its own will not solve this problem. It is therefore extremely important that the Nigerian Government, including through institutions like the North East Development Commission, is also implementing wider measures to address the root causes of the crisis.

 “I am glad to have had the opportunity during my visit this week to review the situation with senior figures in the Nigerian Government, with the military and other authorities in Borno, with international, national and local NGOs, and others. With everyone I have met, I have agreed that NGOs – through their rich networks and capacity to reach people, and their expertise and experience in operating at the community level – have a very important role to play.

“The UN and humanitarian partners have supported the humanitarian response in North-east Nigeria since the beginning of the crisis.

In 2019, they have so far provided critical and life-saving assistance to more than 3.8 million people.

Lowcock who described the operation of UN in the three states of north-east very challenging said the organization lost several staff.

 ”They have been operating in the most challenging circumstances. A total of 38 UN and NGO workers, most of them Nigerian, have been killed since 2011. Ten aid workers have died as a result of violence perpetrated by Boko Haram and other non-state armed groups in the past 18 months. Six more are still missing”.

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