-
Current Requirements (US$)$1.31 billion
Analysis of the context, crisis and needs
The humanitarian crisis in the north-east Nigerian states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe is continuing at scale after 13 years. There has been no reprieve in the severity of the crisis or in the deterioration of the living conditions of people impacted by the crisis; they continue to face significant uncertainty, as well as deprivation well above pre-existing poverty levels and no access to basic service. People are also exposed to daily threats to their health and safety. Some local government areas (LGAs) have crude mortality rates that are higher than the rates during the height of the war. The mass exodus in 2022 of thousands of people from areas controlled by non-State armed groups (NSAGs) included thousands of fighters and their families. Despite this, violence continues unabated. Peace or security across most conflict-affected zones seems a distant prospect, especially in Borno State, as attacks by NSAGs continue at scale.
Protection needs are endemic, especially for women and girls, who are threatened by violence, abduction, rape and other types of gender-based violence, including forced and child marriage, and other violations of their rights. Children are also at risk of forced recruitment when unaccompanied and separated from their families, especially when they were formerly associated with armed groups. Women and girls still lack adequate protection, access to basic services, livelihoods, as well as access to justice and meaningful participation in decision-making processes.
Maiduguri, Nigeria
Schoolchildren in Nigeria.
OCHA/Damilola OnafuwaThe operating environment remains highly volatile: in Borno State, all the main supply routes are unsafe for civilians, aid workers and cargo. Over the past few years, some regions in Adamawa and Yobe have seen significant improvements in security. However, aid organizations continue to face significant security threats.
Conflict and insecurity continue to cut people off from their main means of livelihood, namely agricultural lands. This is one of the major causes of food insecurity in north-east Nigeria. Females are at greater risk of having to resort to harmful coping mechanisms, such as survival sex, to get food or to meet other critical needs. Males in desperation are more easily lured into NSAGs.
Humanitarian funding for Nigeria has declined steadily since its peak in 2017, except for last year. The Humanitarian Country Team’s two-year humanitarian strategy 2022 -2023 is making the most of limited resources and capacity. It will also ensure that the humanitarian community does so collectively – that humanitarian action in the north-east is more than the sum of its parts. The strategy’s coherence, improved targeting based on vulnerability, and improved prioritization aim to mitigate expected funding shortfalls.
Maiduguri , Nigeria
Thirty-year-old Ummi Umar, a mother of 5, left her hometown in Gubio four years ago due to violence.
OCHA/Damilola OnafuwaProjected situation in 2023 and beyond
The comprehensive multi-risk assessment, combined with the multi-sectoral needs assessment in August 2022, projects a slight decrease in the 2023 people in need figure (8.3 million). This is a 1 per cent decrease compared to last year (8.4 million). Needs are multisectoral, and they vary in severity across geographic areas and among the three affected groups comprising IDPs (who still number over 2.2 million people), returnees and host communities. The analysis shows that some 268,000 people are categorized as being in the worst or “catastrophic” category. This is more than double last year’s number, indicating that humanitarian needs are deepening.
In addition to a considerable number of people in need being in a catastrophic situation in two LGAs in Borno, some 3.1 million people are in a ‘extreme’ (severity score 4) situation across 17 LGAs, and some 2.1 million people are in a ‘severe’ situation. Nineteen LGAs have a severity score of 3, 22 have a severity score of 2 (‘severe’) and 5 are ‘minimal’. Regarding access, some 24 per cent of all wards (the lowest administrative level) are considered extremely hard to reach, primarily in Borno State.
Maiduguri, Nigeria
Garba Muhammed Abdul, 46, participates in the Farmer Field School. He looks forward to being able to raise capital to buy his own livestock.
OCHA/Damilola OnafuwaResponse priorities in 2023
To address the gravest threats to life, health and safety, humanitarian partners will focus on improving IDP camp conditions and protection, while addressing risk of communicable diseases, extreme food insecurity and malnutrition, and promoting resilience through activities such as livelihoods interventions. In parallel, despite the likelihood that the conflict and insecurity will continue, opportunities will be sought in moving some affected people progressively out of crisis to safe and stable areas.
Since funding may barely suffice for the critical life-saving actions alone, this strategy is one of prioritization. Based on the intersectoral analysis of severity of needs, life-saving actions will focus on the areas and vulnerable populations in the most severe humanitarian situation, as well as specific life-saving sectors. The sectors will collaborate to address challenges that require coordinated or joined-up actions (e.g. addressing malnutrition). As a secondary priority, actions will seek to address the critical causes of risk to life and health. The aim is also to strengthen area-based, intersectoral approaches to coordination, planning, implementation and advocacy.
Nigeria HRP
The third priority is to help people move out of crisis and extreme situations, i.e. address their vulnerability. This includes efforts to improve resilience and find displacement solutions. Efforts will be made to improve resilience through improved and diversified livelihoods. Opportunities will be sought in safe and secure areas to allow Government, humanitarian and development actors to create the conditions for safe and dignified return or relocation. Resettlement in safe third locations will be possible for some people. Integration in communities around the displacement sites is likely to be a larger-scale option in the immediate term. Nexus action and opportunities are highly circumscribed: the rampant insecurity leaves little room for development initiatives, though Adamawa and Yobe States may offer more scope for such activities.
For the majority of people, with no feasible durable solution yet, progressing out of crisis consists of greater resilience, mainly in livelihoods. There is no reason that displaced people should remain unemployed and dependent on humanitarian aid for years while durable solutions are possible through supportive services. Not all of these solutions are amenable to humanitarian action, but programmes under this strategy will emphasize those actions that bring higher resilience and independence to displaced people.
Protection Crisis in North-East Nigeria – Amina’s Story
Aisha’s daughter Amina, age 7, has been sexually abused three times. She is one of the millions of girls trapped in a brewing protection crisis in north-east Nigeria.