By Chioma Umeha
The United Nations (UN) through the Nigeria
Humanitarian Fund, has allocated US$9 million to provide life-saving aid to
60,000 children, women and men recently displaced by on-going hostilities in
Borno State, including $2 million in support of the UN Humanitarian Air Service
for frontline responders in north-east of the country.
The humanitarian crisis in the region remains one
of the most severe in the world today, with at least 7.7 million people in need
of humanitarian assistance in 2018 in the worst-affected states of Borno,
Adamawa and Yobe states.
About 80 per cent of them, 6.1 million are
targeted for humanitarian assistance.
This $9 million allocation will help fund 15
projects.
It will support humanitarian rapid response in
areas recently affected by large-scale conflict-related displacements,
particularly in the northern parts of Borno, along the Maiduguri-Monguno axis.
No fewer than 30,000 persons have fled the
violence in areas that are hard to reach for international humanitarian
organisations in just three months.
These persons are in dire need of food, water,
shelter, blankets, clothes and medical services.
Additionally, the funds will help scale up the
response near the border with Cameroon in eastern Borno (Gwoza, Bama, Dikwa,
Kala/Balge, Monguno, Askira/Uba) and northern Adamawa (Madagali), where another
30,000 persons approximately have arrived in just three months following
military operations.
Finally, the funds will also help maintain UN
Humanitarian Air Service operations, which are crucial for aid workers to be
able to reach and deliver aid in remote areas of the north-east, especially
areas where roads cannot be used.
“The crisis continues to displace thousands of
vulnerable women, children and men every week. Many have gone through
unspeakable hardship and the UN and its partners remain committed to help
alleviate their suffering,” said Edward Kallon, the Humanitarian Coordinator in
Nigeria.
“This UN fund give us the flexibility to
prioritize those who are most in need of aid and act swiftly for the good of
the people of north-east Nigeria.”
The Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF), managed by
the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs under the leadership of
the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, was created to
provide funds in a flexible and timely manner so those who need it the most
have access to basic life-saving support.
The NHF is one of 18 country-based pooled funds
and was launched during the Oslo Humanitarian Conference for Nigeria and the
Lake Chad Region in February 2017.
To date, the NHF has raised $48 million in
contributions and pledges, thanks to the generous support of Sweden, Germany,
the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Ireland, Switzerland, the Republic
of Korea, Canada, Spain, Luxembourg, the Arab Gulf Program for Development,
Malta, Azerbaijan and Sri Lanka.
Of that $48 million, $33 million -including this
latest $9 million allocation – has now been allocated to various organisations
in support of the humanitarian response in north-east Nigeria.
