By Olukayode Michael, Maiduguri
Thirty thousand Nigerian refugees
recently ejected from Cameroon are at the risk of insurgency attack and lack
access to basic humanitarian services, the Nigeria INGO forum (NIF) has raised
an alarm.
The Nigeria INGO Forum, an umbrella body comprised of 51 international
non-government organisations (INGOs), on Tuesday in a statement expressed deep
concerned over the grave humanitarian situation facing approximately 30,000
displaced people reported to have returned to Rann, a town in north-east
Nigeria.
Rann, which recently endured two horrific attacks in December and January, is
located approximately 12 kilometers from the border of Cameroon.
The INGO Forum, in the statement said from current reports, “there is a
complete lack of access to basic services, security and protection for those
that have returned, thus resulting in large scale humanitarian needs not being
met.”
The statement, which quoted Jennifer Jalovec, Director of the INGO Forum, said:
“Members of the INGO Forum have raised alarm over the insufficient services and
supplies – including food, safe water and critical medical services– available
in Rann to meet the basic needs of the tens of thousands of people that are
returning from Goura”
Jalovec decried that the recent December and January attacks on Rann by
Non-State Armed Groups (NSAGs) led to the withdrawal of all humanitarian
agencies from the area, lamenting that: “The town witnessed devastation
including burning of several shelters, homes and market stalls and the
destruction and looting of humanitarian facilities including a medical clinic
and a mobile food storage unit.
“A large number of civilians were killed or injured, prompting more than 40,000
people between January and February to urgently flee and seek safety across the
border.
The volatile security situation has made it impossible for humanitarians to
access Rann with much needed life-saving assistance. Lack of access has
resulted in inadequate monitoring and incomplete information about the full
extent of the crisis, including the extent of the needs and the intentions and
location of affected populations.”
The statement said: “Despite well-documented reasons for leaving, there are
conflicting reports stating why over 30,000 people have suddenly returned.
“The Nigeria INGO Forum (NIF) takes this opportunity to draw attention to the
current additional humanitarian crisis unfolding, resulting in over 30,000
people who have returned having little to no access to basic services and
assistance.
“We encourage the Federal Government of Nigeria, including the Borno State
government, to ensure people are provided with satisfactory conditions of
safety, dignity and security, as outlined in the endorsed Borno Returns
Strategy (2018) and international law.
“We urgently call on the Borno State government to further strengthen relations
with the humanitarian community and to uphold the Borno Returns Strategy
especially in Rann where we understand the conditions do not currently support
safe and structured interventions.” The statement lamented.