UN Appeals for $1.3 Bn to Help Insurgency-Hit Nigerians

The African country has been facing serious security threats for years as terrorist organizations and armed gangs proliferate throughout its territory, especially in the northeastern region. Earlier this month, the UN raised concerns about a worsening security situation, calling for urgent action to tackle insurgency.

The United Nations has appealed for $1.3 billion to provide assistance to six million Nigerians who have been severely affected by the long-running Islamist insurgency and continue to suffer from conflict and disease.

"The large-scale humanitarian and protection crisis shows no sign of abating," said Matthias Schmale, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Nigeria, adding: "An estimated 2.4 million people are in acute need – impacted by conflict, disaster and disease – and require urgent support."

The official made his remarks at the event in Adamawa state of Nigeria, during which the Humanitarian Response Plan was launched.

Schmale stated that the “ticking time bomb” of acute child malnutrition is exacerbating in the country's northeast, with the number of children facing malnutrition expected to grow from 1.74 million last year to two million in 2023. He underlined that the most vulnerable in this situation are children and women.

"Women and girls are the hardest hit [...]. Over 80% of people in need of humanitarian assistance across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are women and children. They face increased risks of violence, abduction, rape and abuse," Schmale said.

He also noted that without urgent action, 4,000 people in Bama, Borno state, are projected to face such extreme hardships as starvation, death, and critical acute malnutrition levels.

According to the UN, the country has been suffering from insurgency for more than a decade, fighting with the militant Boko Haram* group and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province*. During the ongoing armed conflict, children, women and people with disabilities have been hit the most. It was emphasized that there is a need to pay more attention to the conditions they live in, and ensure they have access to protection and basic health services, nutrition, water, and sanitation.

Two million people have been already displaced as a result of increasing instability. As armed groups continue to conduct attacks on civilians and infrastructure, many people experience threats to their safety on a daily basis.

Last year, the organization provided emergency assistance to approximately five million people in the country affected by insecurity, food shortages and other crises, including malnutrition in the northwest and consequences of devastating flooding, the worst in a decade.

The Nigerian government has recently made strides in retaking and stabilizing large portions of the region occupied by terrorists. As some areas have now been cleared of militants, affected residents are returning home and gradually restoring their lives.

* terrorist organizations banned in Russia and many other states