UN protection chief Volker Turk – visiting one of the regions hardest hit by the Boko Haram troubles. Local authorities here say malnutrition already has killed up to 450 children and many thousands more are facing starvation. The government says Boko Haram is all but defeated – and that is left is reconstruction.But the UN says there are far more challenges ahead.
“It’s also a global issue so there is our part that we would need to play and we would have to focus a lot on protection issues on emergency shelter issues on building especially a community based approach to the crisis because we know that the answer is often in the communities themselves. They know how to survive they know how to cope with it but we need to help facilitate that process” Said Volker Turk, UN Assistant High Commissioner for Protection
The UN says around 3.9 million people need help. Although the military has pushed Boko Haram back, much of the region remains insecure.
The humanitarian crisis has gone beyond Nigeria’s borders – over 200,000 Nigerians refugees are scattered in neighboring Chad, Niger and Cameroon. The UN also is trying to create safe conditions for their return.
Volker Turk is the most senior official from the UN High Commission for Refugees to visit Nigeria since the insurgency broke in 2009. He has been in talks with top government officials and other key players here-The UN has been criticized here for doing very little but he now is promising to rally for an increased support for millions affected by the insurgency.
