The war against Boko Haram may be dwindling, but the impact of the insurgency in northeast Nigeria is still massively felt.
According to the United Nations, more than 4.5 million people are starving and in dire need of food.
A new analysis by various UN agencies, including the World Food Program, reveals that this number continues to double.
“All indications point to an extremely grave situation,” said Abdou Dieng, the UN agency’s Regional Director for West Africa.
“As the rains set in and the lean season deepens, and more areas are opened up to access humanitarian aid, the full scale of hunger and devastation is likely to come to light,” he added.
According to the new analysis, the number of people struggling with severe food insecurity in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, has risen fourfold since March to exceed one million. It is also estimated that at least 65,000 newly liberated people in inaccessible areas in Borno and Yobe are facing “famine-like” conditions.
While some Internally Displaced People are returning to their rural homes, they find them uninhabitable. Therefore, they’re forced to stay in urban areas, again as IDPs.
These families have to beg, get in debts or skip meals to survive. Many now eat only once a day.
Also, if the Nigeria’s economy continues to sink, this could push the number of people in need of food assistance in the north-east by another million by September. WFP, in another food assessment, has warned of soaring prices in areas affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.