With over 200 million people and a large economy, Nigeria is one of the leading countries in Africa. Despite its positive image on the African continent, there are crises and social fault lines within the country. A 100-year colonial history and the colonial institutions built during this period constitute the main causes of the crises in the country. As a matter of fact, during the British colonial period, the country was divided into three states and the ethnic elements in these states were engaged in serious rivalry.
As a result of the presence of more than 250 ethnic elements in Nigeria and the predominance of Islam and Christianity in terms of religious distribution, a unified Nigerian identity was not formed. During the colonial period, with the determination of state boundaries in a way that led to crises, minority ethnic elements faced intense pressure. This oppression and ethnic segregation led to the civil war between 1967 and 1970. In addition to ethnic problems, the unequal distribution of economic welfare and the spread of sects such as Salafism and Shiism, which are not in the tradition of the country’s Muslims, as a result of foreign interventions are among the factors that have led to the current crises.
Military coups have continuously undermined the democratic process in Nigeria, which was determined to be governed by a democratic system at its foundation. The establishment of a stable government through elections in the country was postponed until the elections in 2016. Despite the holding of the current elections, serious criticism has been leveled at the electoral institutions.
Starting its activities in 2009 and reaching the peak of its power in 2014, Boko-Haram operates in the North, where the Muslim population is densely populated. Although the organization suffered a serious loss of power as a result of the division of the organization into two in 2016 and the joint operations of the Lake Chad Basin countries, it is able to carry out operations in the field with asymmetric methods.
As a result of the ‘Farmer-Shepherd’ conflicts in Nigeria and the interventions of both Boko-Haram and armed gangs, state power and public stability are constantly eroding in the country. When we look at the regions where conflicts are concentrated, the north of the country and the Niger Delta stand out. The reason why these two regions host conflicts is the economic difference between the North and the South and the fact that the resources in the Niger Delta are not used for the welfare of the people. The difference in the level of welfare leads to the existence of NDSAs in these two regions.
As a result, conflicts built on ethnic fault lines, the problem of terrorism, and injustice in the distribution of resources trigger internal conflicts in Nigeria. This situation reflects negatively on many aspects, especially elections, and causes the state to have an unstable outlook.
Although 14 years have passed since the conflict, the humanitarian crisis in northeastern Nigeria remains deep and widespread. In Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, more than 7.9 million people face serious security concerns and extreme deprivations beyond their current poverty levels. While the number of people in need decreased compared to previous years, the severity and complexity of the needs of the affected people did not decrease.
Children, especially girls, continue to be the most affected by crises and make up 83 percent of those in need with women. Borno is the most affected state; more than half of the population (3.8 million) are in need. Adamawawa follows him with 2.1 million people in need and Yobede 1.7 million people.
Over the past two years, the nature of conflicts has changed as attacks on military and government facilities have declined. Attacks by non-state armed groups against civilians are growing alarmingly, especially in Borno, where 2021 also saw 1,025 and 2022 1,045 security incidents.
As a result of the evolving security situation and other developments, there may have been an increase in the number of people in need in some sectors in the states of Yobe and Adamawa, which may have led to opportunities for improvement and development efforts. In these two states, further contributions can be made to support the Government in the provision of essential services and housing services for people affected by conflicts and in the development of solutions for displaced people.
In areas in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa, conflicts persist because of serious conservation concerns and limited opportunities for recovery and development. A large number of people with serious needs need constant emergency intervention on a large scale.
Safety concerns, especially for women and girls, are urgent. They are threatened with violence, abduction, rape, gender-based violence, forced and child marriage and other rights violations. When children are unaccompanied and separated from their families, especially if they have previously been associated with armed groups, they are at risk of being forced into armed groups. Women and girls still lack adequate protection and access to justice and services.
There continue to be difficulties in reaching the region of humanitarian aid activities. For example, in Borno Province, all major supply routes are unsafe for civilians, humanitarian workers and supplies. Business partners are still unable to deliver outside of large-populated centers due to insecurity. While security has improved in some parts of Adamawa and Yobe, aid agencies are still grappling with significant threats.
The ongoing conflict and insecurity has alienated people from their basic livelihoods, primarily agricultural activities. Those outside the protective trenches surrounding population centers in many parts of Borno are at risk of being killed, mutilated, abducted or subjected to sexual and gender-based violence. This led to severe food insecurity in northeastern Nigeria. In their quest for survival, women are often pushed toward negative coping mechanisms, such as sex work. Young boys, in desperation, become easy targets for non-state militant groups to join their ranks. Humanitarian funding for Nigeria is projected to decline significantly in 2024.
Human intervention in 2023 faced challenges due to severe funding and access restrictions.It is only 6 percent of the 1.3 billion US dollars demanded to help 37 million people, so 479.8 million US dollars were taken at the end of October. This severe funding gap, coupled with persistent safety issues and movement constraints, has disrupted delivery and resulted in many urgent needs not being met. Despite these challenges, 130 partners reached 3.4 million through humanitarian interventions.
The Humanitarian Aid Country Team (HCT) envisages an even tighter funding environment, predicting a sharp decline in humanitarian allocations to Nigeria in 2024. In the face of these expected financial challenges, humanitarian partners aim to support 4.4 million people and set a funding target of approximately USD 860 million. This target includes financing requirements of USD 45 million, which are estimated, especially for forward-looking interventions to climate-related shocks.
WRITERS: Vildan Kabasakal, Mehmet Akif Uçar
REFERENCES:
https://www.who.int/emergencies/situations/nigeria-crisis
https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/west-africa/nigeria
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1120912
https://crisisrelief.un.org/nigeria-crisis
https://www.unocha.org/nigeria
https://reports.unocha.org/en/country/nigeria/
https://acleddata.com/2021/05/20/mapping-nigerias-kidnapping-crisis-players-targets-and-trends/
https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/west-africa/nigeria/b196-jas-vs-iswap-war-boko-haram-splinters