UN doubles humanitarian appeal for Nigeria to $1 billion

ABUJA, Nigeria—The United Nations today said it has doubled its humanitarian appeal for Nigeria to more than $1 billion in 2017. The group said that 7 million people remain in dire need of basic services, including 75,000 children who could die within the next 12 months.

“The narrative on this humanitarian crisis can no longer be ignored and we are appealing to the international community to help us prevent the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians over the coming 12 months,” said Peter Lundberg, the UN’s deputy humanitarian coordinator.

The UN Humanitarian Response Plan said it will direct the funds to Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, the three northeast Nigerian states in most need of assistance.

Boko Haram’s insurgency has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced more than 2 million others. The extremist group has destroyed lands, leaving many people cut off from access to food. Nigeria’s security forces this year pushed back Boko Haram and regained control of several towns. But the rescue efforts revealed the large scale of the humanitarian crisis.

The UN says 400,000 children are facing a risk of famine in the three worst affected states, and 75,000 of them could die within the next year without assistance. In northeast Borno state, the World Food Program said 55,000 people are living in famine conditions despite the current harvest season, and that number could double by the middle of next year.

The UN response team has relocated to northeastern Maiduguri from Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, to better respond to the needs in the region. The group said it has some 75 partners ready to respond in different affected areas. The World Food Program in November assisted about half a million people with food or cash, and distributed nutrition supplements to nearly 100,000 children with the help of the UN Children’s Fund.

Kevin Watkins, CEO of Save the Children UK, said the number of children in dire need of assistance could be higher than projected. Watkins said a humanitarian disaster is growing in Nigeria’s northeast and called on the international community to intervene.

“There is nothing inevitable about the tragedy now unfolding in northeast Nigeria,” Watkins said in a statement. “By acting now and acting decisively, the international community and the Nigerian government together have the power to save and rebuild lives.”