HIGHLIGHTS
IDP caseload in Nigeria’s Borno State increases by 135,290 people between December 2016 and January 2017
Recent report highlights that populations in northeastern Nigeria continue to face severe protection risks
Humanitarian support likely preventing deterioration in food security in Niger’s Diffa Region; further assistance required
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
The latest International Organization for Migration (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) recorded more than 1.76 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) across northeastern Nigeria’s Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states, an increase of approximately 8 percent since the December 2016 DTM. Borno accounted for the largest change, with IOM recording 135,290 additional IDPs. IOM notes that improved access to displaced populations rather than new displacement likely accounted for much of the increase.
In Borno, ongoing Boko Haram activity and Government of Nigeria (GoN) counterinsurgency operations have prompted additional population movements in recent weeks. Since late January, more than 11,000 people have fled conflict in local government areas (LGAs) of the state, according to IOM.
A recent protection-focused report by the Assessment Capacities Project details the extensive risks faced by people in conflict-affected areas of northeastern Nigeria; in addition to the ongoing threat of Boko Haram-related violence, familial separation, gender-based violence, and other threats to physical safety and mental wellbeing remain.
Populations in Niger’s Diffa Region continue to face food insecurity due to ongoing conflict in the region. Although humanitarian assistance has improved the situation, persistent conflict is likely to cause conditions to deteriorate in the absence of sustained support, according to the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET).
In Chad’s Lac Region, an increase in IDPs and refugees is straining host community resources and exacerbating food insecurity, FEWS NET reports. Conditions among affected populations are likely to worsen between February and May. USG partners continue response efforts aimed at improving food and nutrition conditions in Lac.