Amid worsening insecurity in northeast Nigeria, the protection of 1.8 million displaced civilians is a major concern for the United Nations, a UN spokesman said on Wednesday.
The deteriorating situation also directly affected aid operations, with three aid workers killed and a UN helicopter damaged by gunfire in Borno State earlier this month, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“The protection of civilians remains a major concern for the UN,” Haq told a virtual press briefing.
“Our humanitarian colleagues tell us that the crisis in the northeast region, now in its 11th year, shows no sign of abating, with fighting and attacks escalating in recent months,” he said.
Following attacks by armed groups and clashes with government forces, more than 40,000 people have been newly displaced to already congested camps and host communities in May and June alone across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, the spokesman said.
“Our humanitarian colleagues say that there have been gross violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law,” he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated vulnerabilities and needs across northeast Nigeria, with 10.6 million people now in need of assistance, up from 7.9 million in January, he said.
Less than 30 percent of the more than 1 billion U.S. dollars of the required humanitarian funding for 2020 has been received so far, he said.
