UN seeks $1.3bn in aid for Nigerians Impacted by Insurgency.
The United Nations (UN) is calling for an urgent need to provide aid to Nigerians affected by the decade-long Islamist insurgency in the northeast of the country.
The UN is seeking a $1.3 billion appeal to support six million Nigerians displaced by the insurgency, which has caused over two million people to be displaced, with hundreds of lives lost.
Matthias Schmale, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator for Nigeria, stated that the crisis is escalating, and there is a need for large-scale humanitarian aid and protection. The most affected are women and children, with over 80% of the people in need of aid being in the three states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe. According to Schmale, they are facing violence, abduction, rape and abuse, with women and girls being the hardest hit.
The U.N. reported that the number of children experiencing acute malnutrition is expected to increase to two million this year, up from 1.74 million last year. Despite the government’s claim that they are winning the fight against the insurgents and have cleared some areas of militants, aid is still urgently needed for those affected by the conflict.
The funds requested by the UN will provide aid and protection to those impacted by the insurgency in Nigeria.