On Thursday, the United Nations launched a $1.3 billion appeal to aid six million people in northeast Nigeria who have been badly hit by conflict, illness, and natural catastrophe.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, stated that the massive humanitarian and protection situation shows no signs of abating. An estimated 2,4 million people are in dire need due to war, natural disasters, and disease and require immediate assistance.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has forecast that the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition will rise to two million in 2023, up from 1.74 million in 2018. Severe acute malnutrition is anticipated to more than quadruple from 2022 to current year, reaching an estimated 697,00 cases.
Mr. Schmale stated, “Women and girls are struck the worst.” “More than 80% of those requiring humanitarian aid in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe are women and children. They confront heightened dangers of violence, kidnapping, rape, and abuse.”
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 4,000 people in Bama, Borno state, could face famine, death, destitution, and severely critical acute malnutrition without immediate action.
Children, girls, women, and individuals with disabilities have been the most negatively affected by the current 13-year-long armed conflict. They require increased protection and access to basic health, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, and education services.
Conflict has resulted in the displacement of two million people, many of whom face daily dangers to their health and safety. Non-State armed groups continue to conduct random assaults on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Moreover, the recent closure of camps for internally displaced people has led to the emergence of new risks.
In 2022, the United Nations supplied humanitarian aid to about 5 million Nigerians in response to these and other crises, including severe starvation in the northwest and the country’s worst flooding in a decade.
Alice Nderitu, the UN’s Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, expressed worry about a deteriorating security situation and called for immediate action to address conflicts and prevent atrocity crimes earlier this month.
The 2023 strategy prioritizes lifesaving requirements while reducing vulnerabilities and bolstering resilience. The Humanitarian Response Plan can receive contributions through the Financial Tracking Service, the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, or the Central Emergency Response Fund.
