Displaced by Boko Haram, Borno govt compounds sufferings of over 200,000 IDPs by shutting camps —HRW report - TrendyNewsReporters Displaced by Boko Haram, Borno govt compounds sufferings of over 200,000 IDPs by shutting camps —HRW report - TrendyNewsReporters
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Displaced by Boko Haram, Borno govt compounds sufferings of over 200,000 IDPs by shutting camps —HRW report

by ebor cletus ralph jr

A thorough investigation by Human Rights Watch criticised the state administration of Borno for closing IDP camps, alleging that over 200,000 IDPs had been forced to move again and were suffering as a result of the closure.

Northeastern Nigeria’s Borno is where Boko Haram’s insurgency is centred. Since it began in 2009, the insurgency has resulted in more than 35,000 fatalities and more than two million people being displaced throughout the region. Over 200,000 displaced people live in Borno State alone, claims Human Rights Watch.

The state government began the closure of IDP camps, on the premise that the security situation in the state had improved, as well as to advance its pledge to help displaced persons return to their communities.

However, the HRW found that there has been not much improvement in security in the state, nor did the government provide adequate interventions for the IDPs to return to their self-sustaining lives.

So far, eight camps have been shut down between May 2021 and August 2022, and the government already announced plans to shut down four more camps before the end of 2022.

The already closed camps include the Bakassi, Stadium, Teacher’s Village, Farm Center, Dalori I, Dalori II, Mogcolis, and National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps.

“The shutdowns have compelled displaced people to leave the camps without consultation, adequate information, or sustainable alternatives to ensure their safety and livelihoods in violation of Nigeria’s obligations under African regional law and international law on the rights of internally displaced persons,” HRW says.

The impact of the completed and upcoming closures of the camps on the displaced population in Borno State is covered in the research titled “Impact of Camp Shutdowns on People Displaced by Boko Haram Conflict in Nigeria.” It claims that many of the IDPs, who have now been re-displaced as a result of the government’s decision, struggle after leaving the camps to get enough food, meet their basic needs, and find sufficient housing.

“Our research found that shutting down the camps has pushed many displaced people—who were already suffering from the conflict—deeper into destitution, leaving them struggling to eat, meet basic needs, or obtain adequate shelter.

“The planned shutdown of the remaining camps is already stoking anxiety among residents who fear similar harms absent significant changes in the authorities’ approach to the situation.”

According to reports, many IDPs who were removed from the eight camps are now living in impromptu settlements without receiving regular assistance from the government or humanitarian organisations, while those who have returned to their homes struggle to make ends meet because it is still unsafe for them to go back to their farms.

The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Borno State Emergency Management Authority (SEMA) had ceased offering monthly food rations and cash transfers for food in the four camps that were still functioning, according to the HRW. This was done in response to the state government’s announcement that the camps will be shut down by the end of 2021 in October.

The reduction in aid supplies has subjected many IDPs to severe hunger and uncertainty.

The HRW called on the Nigerian federal government to “urgently engage with the Borno State government to halt further camp closures, and both governments should work together with the UN, donor governments, and humanitarian agencies to ensure that plans to return or resettle displaced persons do not violate their rights. They should also remove restrictions on aid and ensure that humanitarian organizations can provide lifesaving assistance in displacement camps and all areas where needs are identified.”

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