The United Nations has promised to increase its humanitarian intervention in North-East Nigeria, as part of efforts to support the victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the region.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Sir Mark Lowcock, stated this on Wednesday when he led a delegation on a working visit to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Sir Lowcock said 5.2 million people are in need of emergency food assistance in the three most affected states of the troubled North-East, Nigeria, while 450,000 children are severely malnourished.
Noting that UN was committed to assisting the victims, he said the visit was to enable the global organisation to assess the extent of damage and impacts of the Boko Haram insurgency, as well as to address the humanitarian crisis occasioned by the insurgency.
The UN team also visited war ravaged communities in the Niger Republic, where the affected population are confronted with issues of protection.
Lowcock said, “I am visiting Nigeria and Niger to assess the level and impact of humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad region, and how effective is our response to the crisis; and most importantly it will avail me the chance to listen to the affected people.”
“I will bring their stories to the world leaders during the UN General Assembly next week.”
The UN Under-Secretary-General also said that 17 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance in the Lake Chad Basin, out of which 8.5 million were in North-East Nigeria.
