Council seeks support for 7, 000 Borno flood victims

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has called for interventions in the humanitarian needs of over 7, 000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) affected by flood in Borno state.

NRC’s Director in Nigeria, Eric Batonon, made the call in a statement issued on Monday in Maiduguri.

Batonon said torrential rains have destroyed makeshift tents and caused severe flooding in the temporary displacement camps in the state in the past one week.

He said the disaster made the vulnerable families homeless and urgent financial assistance is necessary to address the humanitarian needs of the IDPs and prevent outbreak and spread of diseases.

“Displaced people are suffering due to relentless rains and wind battering their homes in the last few days.

“Large numbers of families, who fled from conflict months ago, are left homeless while others are forced to share overcrowded tents with neighbours or relatives.

“Over 6, 800 people living in displacement camps in Maiduguri have been impacted by flood in recent weeks.

“In Dikwa, 500 people have been rendered homeless due to flooding and have set up homes in disused registration centres; they are essentially displaced within a displacement camp,” he said.

Batonon said the displaced persons were living in sub-human conditions due to lack of drains and sanitation facilities in most of the camps.

He added that the flood victims were being exposed to open defecation due to lack of toilets in camps submerged by water, pointing out that the situation could lead to spread of water-borne diseases.

“Furthermore, heavy rains present opportunities for armed groups to infiltrate and target displacement camps. On Tuesday night, August 20, a female suicide bomber detonated a bomb, killing herself and injuring four civilians in Dikwa.

“This was the first attack of its kind in the area since December 2018,” he stated.

According to him, the United Nations and partners have appealed for $848 million to address the 2019 humanitarian needs in the northeast.

He said about eight months into the year, less than 40 per cent of the projected fund was received.

He said: “Additional financial support is urgently needed to reach 6.2 million people targeted for humanitarian aid in 2019. People will die if they don´t receive urgent assistance now.’’