Boko Haram: US to assist Nigeria with $102 million

The U.S. Government has announced 102 million dollars (about 3.7 billion naira) in additional humanitarian assistance for Nigeria to address the sufferings of people affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.

The U.S. Department of State said the fund would be used to address the shelter, health and food security needs of populations in the northeast still struggling with the effects of the Boko Haram insurgency.

This fund for Nigeria represents the vast majority of the U.S. government’s new 112 million dollars infusion for the Lake Chad region.

The assistance would be administered primarily through the U.S. Agency for International Development’s offices of Food for Peace, and Foreign Disaster Assistance, as well as the U.S. State Department’s Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration.

“Nearly a decade of conflict perpetuated by Boko Haram and its offshoot ISIS-West Africa has triggered a humanitarian crisis in the region.

“More than two million people remain uprooted by the violence, and nearly 11 million people need assistance to survive.

“The funding in today’s announcement will provide life-saving aid to hundreds of thousands of people, including emergency food, nutrition treatment, shelter, health care, safe drinking water, services for survivors of sexual violence, and support to children separated from their families.

“The United States is the largest donor for the humanitarian response in the Lake Chad region, having provided nearly 761 million dollars since Fiscal Year 2017.

“While the United States remains committed to helping the people affected by this conflict, a comprehensive political and security solution is ultimately the only way to end their suffering and bring peace to the region.

“The United States calls on other donors to step up to address the basic life-saving needs of those displaced and the communities that host them,” the Department said.

As of May 2018, an estimated 2.3 million people in the northeast experienced extreme food insecurity, largely due to widespread insecurity, protracted displacement, depleted assets, and the interruption of agricultural production throughout the region.

Overall, an estimated 7.7 million people in the northeast require urgent humanitarian assistance.

“Even as the Nigerian security personnel make progress, access to those most in need remains tenuous in many areas and the operating environment is highly volatile,” the U.S. said.