UN arrives Nigeria to assess humanitarian crisis in North East

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, has arrived in Nigeria on a two-day visit, to assess the humanitarian crisis
created by Boko Haram insurgency. The Head, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), Ms Kate Pond, disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja. Kate said that O’Brien would have a first-hand assessment of the humanitarian crisis caused by Boko Haram insurgency at Diffa and Maiduguri, before visiting Abuja. Kate explained that the insurgency had affected millions of people in the North East, making it the fastest growing displacement in Africa. “The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien, will be in Nigeria from May 18 to 19, to take stock of the humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad Basin.“The crisis in the Lake Chad Basin, including Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad, has continuously deteriorated over the last two years. “Insecurity and counter-insurgency measures have affected over 2.4 million people, making it the fastest growing displacement crisis in Africa,” she said. According to her, communities in the Lake Chad Basin are already struggling with the effects of climate change, environmental degradation, chronic food insecurity and malnutrition. “The conflict has dramatically exacerbated their Internally Displaced Persons’ vulnerability. “In the worst-affected areas, almost half of the population of up to 9.2 million people need assistance. “More than three million of the Internally Displaced Persons are affected by food insecurity,” Kate said. At Diffa and Maiduguri, O’Brien is expected to meet with displaced people, their host communities, local officials and humanitarian actors. She said the Under-Secretary-General is expected to hold media briefings at the Maiduguri International Airport today and at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Thursday. The Coordinator’s visit precedes the first World Humanitarian Summit, which will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 23 to 24. The Summit seeks to generate renewed focus on essential humanitarian commitments, highly relevant to the people of the region affected by the Boko Haram insurgency. It also seeks to renew focus on the need to ‘leave no one behind’ and to `prevent and end conflict’.
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