NIGERIA has now consolidated its position as the country with the largest number of internally displaced people (IDPs) as the number of refugees from the Boko Haram insurgency surges to a record 2.2m.
According to the latest figures published by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of IDP's in Nigeria has ballooned to 2.2m from 1.5m in August. UNHCR representative to Nigeria, Angele Dikongue-Atangana, said that the increase was not as a result of new displacement but proper documentation of the refugees following the liberation of new areas.
She added that the agency would not relent in its humanitarian support to Nigeria, urging partners and donor agencies to assist refugees and displaced persons. Most of the IDPs are living in makeshift camps across the northeast and in neighbouring states in other parts of Nigeria.
Ms Dikongue-Atangana said: “The number of IDPs is not really increasing as a result of new displacement. The number is increasing specifically because regaining control of the territory by the military opened further access for the humanitarian officials so they can count many more IDPs, be they old IDPs or very recent ones.
"There could be some relatively small new displacement in the course of combating insurgency and knowing that the insurgents themselves still remain active, especially in this hit and run tactic. The UNHCR has recorded success in its 2015 operational activities in Nigeria including addressing refugee and IDP plights, advocacy on statelessness, and collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States."
According to Ms Dikongue-Atangana, the commission in its action plan supervised the voluntary repatriation of 452 Cameroonian refugees back to their country. She added that plans were already in progress to repatriate 165 others back to their country before the end of the year, while resettling others to a third country in Europe, and the US.
Furthermore, Ms Dikongue-Atangana said that UNHCR was working closely with relevant bodies to ensure that IDPs had their basic rights especially the right to existence, food, shelter, education, security, amongst other amenities. She pointed out that in line with the global campaign in eradicating the scourge, the UNHCR had engaged the National Assembly in domesticating the frameworks that would prevent and reduce statelessness in Nigeria.
Ms Liz Ahua, the UNHCR regional representative to West Africa urged donors and partners to take a trip to the field to be aware of the level of destruction for a better understanding of the situation. She added that the rate of displacement in Nigeria was alarming and action needed to be taken fast as the displaced could amount to the population of other smaller African countries.
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