How people in Niger are living post-Boko Haram

The Humanitarian Coordinator of the UN in Niger , Fode Ndiaye, is calling on the international community to mobilize resources for the humanitarian crisis created after the massive attack of Boko Haram in Bosso, in south-eastern Niger.

"Thousands of families were forced to flee the areas affected by the recent attacks to other parts of the region they consider safer", Ndiaye explained. This mass exodus is due to panic after new attacks of Boko Haram.

According to Nigerien authorities, 26 soldiers were killed last week in an attack launched by the Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram in Bosso, Niger of a town near the border with Nigeria and Chad . 

"Most of the displaced are staying with host families while others have settled spontaneously along the road, in public buildings or in the bush," said Fode Ndiaye.

Pictures taken by humanitarian agencies (like the images in this post supplied by UNICEF) in recent days show the plight of thousands of people deprived of everything, fleeing at random and sheltering under lean acacias trees (pictured) in the sun. 

"The host families are mostly already in a vulnerable position and could see their situation deteriorate further if urgent assistance is not provided to them also" insisted the humanitarian coordinator.

Indeed, refugees and displaced persons represent almost a quarter of the population of the eastern region of Niger.

"The displaced people urgently need more assistance in drinking water, food, shelter, non-food goods, transportation , protection, including psychosocial support, hygiene and sanitation. These needs can not wait " , continued Fode Ndiaye.

Access to clean water, the absolute priority

Access to safe drinking water seems to be the absolute priority, according to the representative of UNICEF, Viviane Van Steirteghem. "The proliferation of water points is paramount to avoid conflict and allow everyone,  human, animals, to source for free, " she said.

There was tension over water between farmers in the Lake Chad region who  arrived with large herds, and local and newly-arrived residents. On Saturday, June 11, a conflict for water erupted in 

Kitchendi and there were several casualties.

OCHA, the UN Office for humanitarian support, indicates that 241,000 refugees and displaced persons were recorded before the recent attacks on 51 of the 135 sites listed in the Diffa region.

 Since the attacks of last week, OCHA estimated that about 76 000 people have abandoned the cities of Yebi, Bosso and Toumour. Among them, some were already listed as displaced.

"They traveled for kilometers on foot or by cart, in an unbearable heat and with very little water , says Viviane Van Steirteghem. We found respiratory infections, diarrhea in smaller, sunstroke and dehydration due to walking under the sun as well as cases of malnutrition in children under five. "

New risks to fear

 "Despite the efforts made ​​by the teams of the Nigerian Ministry of Health, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders, the needs are far from being met " , she regretted.

As the rainy season begins, new risks are to be feared: the degradation of sanitation, cholera and malaria.

The humanitarian community is facing a particularly chaotic situation due to de placements constant refugees, lack of food and insecurity. Nigerian troops are mobilized in several places in the region, where tension has caused some communal conflict. Furthermore, some were reportedly looted including the host site Kablewa refugee recently attacked and looted right after an aid distribution, making more people leave the area.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Nigeria, four women were murdered in a village northeast of the country by Boko Haram militants. Fifteen assailants motorcycle emerged Friday night Mairari, a remote village located 80 kilometers from Maiduguri, capital of Borno state. As people broke the Ramadan fast, at 19 am local time, they brought them out of their homes, women, aged 27-45 years, and had their throats slit, according to testimonies of local militias, who believe that the attackers deliberately targeted women, either because their husbands refused to join the ranks of the Islamist rebellion or because Boko Haram suspected these men informed the authorities.

Source; Lemonde