By Olukayode Michael, Maiduguri
Médecins
Sans Frontières (MSF) on Thursday said a catastrophe is on the verge of
happening in Monguno, Borno State, Nigeria.
MSF, otherwise called Doctors Without Border decried that over 30,000 people
are presently in acute need in the area, which communities nearby were attacked
by Boko Haram insurgency in December, leaving many displaced.
A statement by MSF said: “With the rainy season on its way, shelter, water,
sanitation, food, protection and medical care must be scaled up urgently to
avoid a catastrophe.”
The statement said: “Over 30,000 people who were forced to flee to the town of
Monguno following renewed clashes that erupted in Nigeria’s Borno state in late
December are in acute need of shelter, water, sanitation, food, protection,
medical care and mental health support, warns international humanitarian
organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
The statement added the people’s immediate
humanitarian needs are not being adequately addressed, and there is an urgent
need for better coordination between the Nigerian government, United
Nations and non-governmental organisations in scaling up the aid response
in Monguno so as to avoid a catastrophic situation with the onset of the rainy
season, expected in May.
It lamented that for the last ten years, people in Borno state have been caught
up in a cycle of violence, displacement, and insecurity. People’s health are at
risk due to the dire living conditions. The latest clashes have yet again
forced tens of thousands from their homes, fields and livelihoods, and left
them struggling to survive.
The statement quoted MSF humanitarian affairs officer, Musa Baba as saying
people who recently arrived in Monguno fled their homelands leaving everything
behind,” regretting that: “They come from areas where they could farm. Now,
they are sleeping on the streets or wherever they can find space, hungry,
thirsty and exposed to very high temperatures during the day and low
temperatures at night.”
MSF said: “A major problem in Monguno is the lack of land to build shelters for
new arrivals. Thousands of recently displaced people have no space to settle
and are living and sleeping in the middle of the town’s streets for weeks, even
months. MSF, along with some other humanitarian organisations, have built
shelters in different camps and have capacity to accommodate more displaced
people. MSF teams have set up 100 tents and are ready to put up 700 additional
shelters.
Musa was also quoted to have said: “The current situation, with very vulnerable
people – women, children and the elderly – living out of doors, rather than in
a camp or with the host community, increases the risk of abuses and the need
for protection.”