HIGHLIGHTS
Acutely food-insecure population grows in Nigeria’s Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states
UN agencies declare internal L3 emergencies for the crisis in northeastern Nigeria
USG partners continue to respond to urgent needs among populations affected by Boko Haram in the Lake Chad Basin region
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
On August 22, UN Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) and Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel Toby Lanzer concluded his visit to northeastern Nigeria, including Borno State’s town of Bama. ASG Lanzer reported that services—including educational activites, food distributions, and health care programs—at the town’s camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) had scaled up since his previous visit in April, but cautioned that humanitarian activities must continue to expand to meet increasing needs. The ASG also noted the need for increased assistance to populations in Nigeria’s Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states, and highlighted the scale of the crisis and the scope of needs across the Lake Chad Basin region.
According to a U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report released in August, more than 475,000 children in conflict-affected areas of the Lake Chad Basin region are expected to experience severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in 2016, an increase of 300,000 children from the estimate of 175,000 children at risk of SAM at the beginning of the year. UNICEF reports that of the 475,000 children at risk of SAM, an estimated 49,000 children living in Nigeria’s Borno State require urgent treatment. The report also notes that conflict has damaged or destroyed nearly two-thirds of hospitals and health clinics in Borno and 75 percent of the state’s water and sanitation facilities require rehabilitation.
Four UN agencies and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have publically declared internal Level 3 (L3) emergencies for the crisis in northeastern Nigeria. According to the UN, an internal L3 emergency designation signifies a large-scale and urgent crisis and aims to mobilize the capacity, leadership, and resources of the humanitarian system to respond to exceptional circumstances.