Over 7m North East IDPs need humanitarian assistance—UN

The UN under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, has said seven million internally displaced persons (IDPs) are in need of humanitarian assistance in insurgency affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.

He said this year’s deteriorating humanitarian situation in Borno State is a growing concern among governments and humanitarian agencies.

In a statement in Maiduguri at the weekend, Lowcock said: “Ten years of conflict and violence perpetrated by Boko Haram and other non-state armed groups have devastated communities. During my visits to Borno in September 2017 and October 2018, I met many victims of decade long insurgency…”

He thanked the Nigerian government and others for regaining control of areas ravaged by insurgents, saying over two million IDPs were able to return to their liberated communities.

He noted that renewed violence by Boko Haram insurgents has sparked an upsurge in forced displacement in Borno, with over 140,000 people forced to flee this year.