12 hrs ago |
by Belgian
The United Nations on Tuesday asked for a billion dollars to respond to the humanitarian crisis in northeastern Nigeria, where more than 5 million people live in food insecurity, after twelve years of jihadist conflict.
“Constant insecurity and violence, added to climate change and the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis have brought the number of people dependent on humanitarian aid to nearly 9 million,” the UN said in a statement published Tuesday.
“Nearly two million people are displaced and still cannot return to their homes and 5.1 million are food insecure during this lean period,” warns the UN, stressing that these are “the worst figures recorded for four years “.
The security and humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria is one of the largest in the world.
The jihadist groups Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap) are engaged in a bloody conflict with the Nigerian army and millions of people live in unsanitary camps dependent on humanitarian aid.
In 2020, the UN had requested more than $ 800 million for northeastern Nigeria, but only 55% of that amount had been raised.
Nigeria, a country of 200 million inhabitants and Africa’s largest oil producer with 2 million barrels exported every day, is in the grip of a serious security and social situation in many regions of the country.
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