---
title: "Seeking safety in northeast Nigeria"
description: "Hundreds of thousands of people flee from brutality and violent attacks in northeast Nigeria."
url: "https://www.nrc.no/news/2016/september/seeking-safety-in-northeast-nigeria"
language: "en"
published: "2016-09-16T08:48:10Z"
modified: "2016-09-16T09:31:16Z"
---

![Over the past months, more than 200,000 internally displaced people have arrived in the Nigerian town of Monguno, northeast in the country. Photo: NRC ](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/nigeria/dscn0016.jpg)

# Seeking safety in northeast Nigeria

Rosalyn Velds|Published 16. Sep 2016

[Nigeria](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=90) [Humanitarian access](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=153) [Internal displacement](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=156) [Neglected conflicts](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=158) [War and conflict](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=308)

This article was first published more than 10 years ago

Hundreds of thousands of people flee from brutality and violent attacks in northeast Nigeria.

Monguno, a small town in northeast [Nigeria](https://www.nrc.no/countries/africa/old-versions/nigeria2 "https://www.nrc.no/countries/africa/nigeria/"), used to be home to 130,000 people. Over the past few months, the population has expanded to 350,000 people. The vast majority of the newly arrived are internally displaced people seeking safety and security for themselves and their families, away from insurgency and violence.

The crisis in Nigeria is among the fastest growing displacement crises in Africa. Since 2009, violent attacks on civilians by the armed group Boko Haram have left widespread devastation in northeast Nigeria, and approximately two million people are displaced within the country.

**NRC in Nigeria**

- NRC started our relief operations in Maiduguri in September 2015 and provides emergency shelters, water and sanitation, legal assistance (ICLA) and food security assistance.
- NRC assistance has so far reached more than 43,000 internally displaced people and host communities in Maiduguri.
- Once registered, NRC provides multi-sectoral assistance to those displaced and host communities in order to ensure sustainability of our activities and promote lasting solutions.
- The ongoing tension and threats of insurgency in northeast Nigeria continue to limit any plans for return for those displaced and prevent them from resuming former livelihood activities.

Read more about our work in Nigeria [here](https://www.nrc.no/countries/africa/old-versions/nigeria2 "https://www.nrc.no/countries/africa/nigeria/").

### Hunger

Many families have not eaten for days when they reach Monguno and they arrive severely malnourished.

“We are hungry and we need food. Life in the camp is hard, it is very hot and the water is of poor quality. Many people die from hunger,” says Fatima, an older resident of one of the camps in the town.

Fatima walked with her daughter and her grandchildren to Monguno from Marte, a town 40 kilometers away. Over the past few months, Monguno has seen an influx of thousands of people from Marte, which continues to be affected by the conflict.

> We are hungry and we need food. Life in the camp is hard, it is very hot and the water is of poor quality. Many people die from hunger.
>
> Fatima, internally displaced Nigerian

### Lack of income

To gain an income, Fatima collects and sells firewood, but the money is not enough to feed her family. They live on one meal a day.

“Many children die of lack of food or bad water, the situation is very difficult,” says Fatima.

Waterborne illnesses, such as diarrhea and cholera, particularly affect children and older people with weak immune systems. NRC’s country director in Nigeria, Olivier David, is worried and says the situation for the population in Monguno is dire.

“Despite the declared state of emergency, the town has received little humanitarian assistance and what we have been able to deliver so far barely scratches the surface of addressing the urgent needs for food, water and sanitation, and shelter,” says David.

### Pushing the limits

The small town is now home to more than double its former population, with current local services and infrastructure being severely strained in their ability to tailor to the immense needs of the displaced population.

“The population in and around Monguno are dangerously close to famine. If these communities do not receive assistance, we will be looking at an even greater disaster. Their needs are large and urgent and the global community must do more to reach the people in need now,” says David.

**The crisis in Nigeria**

- The crisis in Nigeria is part of a larger humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad Basin and among the fastest growing displacement crises in Africa.
- Recent UN reports estimate that 14.8 million people are affected by the crisis, of whom 7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.
- Monguno was under Boko Haram control in January and February 2015, and was subsequently retaken by the military. There are 11 camps in the town, hosting an estimated 70,000 internally displaced people. The majority of the internally displaced people live among host communities. Exact numbers are unknown as the area only recently became accessible. The town of Marte has been under Boko Haram control since 2014.
- The influx of refugees leads to great pressure on already scarce resources. In rural areas, access to health care, school and work has been greatly reduced because of the conflict. Many people resort to crime, begging, child labour and prostitution.
- An increasing number of people have also fled to neighbouring countries, such as Cameroon.
- Although in recent years the number of humanitarian organisations has increased in northeast Nigeria, and the UN has gained a stronger presence, relief efforts suffer from the lack of funding.
- Since Muhammadu Buhari was elected president in 2015, Boko Haram has been driven back in some areas, but it is far from beaten. Boko Haram now also operates in neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon, and there is an increasing risk that the situation will evolve into a regional conflict.

### Must do more

Earlier this month, NRC conducted a security and programme assessment of Monguno in an effort to expand our activities in northeast Nigeria.

“Initial assessments underline the critical humanitarian needs in Monguno, which include food assistance, shelter as well as securing clean water and sanitation facilities”, says David.

As humanitarian actors increasingly have access to the northeast, NRC endeavors to establish presence in liberated and formerly inaccessible areas such as Monguno.

“We are looking to increase our funding in order to meet immediate humanitarian needs,” says David.

As the conflict severely restricts people’s access to markets and farmlands, their needs for food and clean water are not met.

“The result is that agricultural production has dropped, which we expect will lead to long term food insecurity,” says David.