Sorghum, maize, millet, cowpea, gari (fermented cassava starch), and rice are all found in Nigerian markets. Sorghum, millet and maize are widely consumed by most households, but especially in the north, and are used by various industries. Maize is mainly used by the poultry industry as a raw material for feed while sorghum is used by breweries for producing beverages. Sorghum and millet are important for households in the north, particularly the border markets where millet is also heavily traded with Niger. Gari is widely consumed by households in the south and some in the north. Rice is produced and consumed throughout the country. The north is a major production and consumption area for cowpea which flows to the south for use by households and food processing industries. Ilela, Maidua, and Damasak are all critical cross-border markets with Niger. Saminaka, Giwa, Dandume, and Kaura Namuda are important grain markets in the north, which are interconnected with the Dawanu market in Kano, the largest wholesale market in West Africa, and some southern markets such as the Bodija market in Ibadan. Millet, sorghum, maize, and cowpea are among the most important cereals traded at Dawanu, while cassava and some cereals are traded with Bodija.

Résumé

Depuis 2014, les violences dans les régions du nord-est du Nigéria se sont progressivement étendues aux pays voisins, notamment au Niger, au Cameroun et au Tchad. L’augmentation des attaques de groupes armés contre la population civile en 2015 avait provoqué des déplacements internes de populations importants, ainsi que le retour des Tchadiens vivant au Nigéria. Suite à cette instabilité sécuritaire, les autorités tchadiennes ont déclaré l’état d’urgence dans la région du Lac, augmentant la pression sur la population civile et rendant plus difficile l’assistance humanitaire aux populations vulnérables. Pour faire face à cette crise, une réponse humanitaire d’urgence a été mise en place par les agences onusiennes et les ONGs internationales et locales. Cependant, les risques liés à la sécurité et les difficultés rencontrées pour accéder aux populations affectées restent aujourd’hui encore des défis majeurs pour la communauté humanitaire qui cherche à définir plus précisément les priorités en terme de besoin d’un point de vue géographique et sectoriel.

L’initiative REACH a pour objectif de mettre à disposition de la communauté humanitaire, via les plateformes de coordination, une information précise et actualisée des différentes zones où les acteurs opérationnels mènent leurs interventions et ainsi de combler le manque d’information actuellement subi. De cette manière, le projet vise à améliorer la connaissance du territoire et des communautés bénéficiaires de l’aide humanitaire dans la région du lac Tchad dans le contexte de la crise nigériane ainsi qu’à développer un système d’évaluation multidisciplinaire régulier des besoins des populations. Ce premier rapport initie une série de produits qui seront publiés dans le cadre de ce projet. Il présente les premiers résultats et propose un état des lieux qui sera utilisé comme référence pour évaluer les transformations dans les rapports à venir.

La méthodologie utilisée pour ce premier rapport inclut des informations de première main, collectées au niveau des communautés, sur la base d’une méthodologie d’échantillonnage choisie en consultation avec des individus identifiés comme informateurs clés (ICs) interrogés sur leur village d’origine dans les principales communes et les marchés des sous-préfectures autour du Lac, au Tchad. Pour cette analyse, 448 enquêtes ont été retenues pour cette analyse, couvrant globalement 209 villages dont 177 localisés au Tchad. Les ICs sélectionnés sont majoritairement tchadiens, ont des différents statuts, déplacés ou population hôte, et ont des profils d’activité variés. Dans les prochains rapports, il est prévu d’élargir ce réseau d’ICs jusqu’à ce qu’il atteigne une couverture homogène de la région du lac Tchad. L’objectif est ainsi de pouvoir couvrir l‘ensemble du territoire en terme d’accès à l’information, ce qui permettra de pouvoir trianguler et analyser l’information provenant d’autres sources selon un découpage territorial pertinent.

Globalement, les résultats suivants ont été observés :
• Des mouvements internes de populations ont été relevés dans la plupart des villages couverts par cette enquête. La tendance reste, pour l’instant, de se déplacer au sein de la même sous-préfecture ou vers une sous-préfecture adjacente ;
• Les sites de déplacement sont concentrés dans certaines zones et le choix du site est probablement déterminé par des liens familiaux ou communautaires antérieurs qui facilitent les relations avec la population hôte ;
• Les facteurs qui poussent les populations à partir restent principalement liés aux contraintes d’accès à la nourriture et à l’augmentation des violences ;
• Dans les sites, les conditions de vie – abris – des déplacés sont généralement plus précaires que celles des populations hôtes. Toutefois, la question de l’accès à la terre pour les déplacés mérite une analyse spécifique hors du cadre de cette enquête ;
• L’accès aux soins de santé a toujours été difficile en raison du coût et de l’absence de moyens de transports publics pour se rendre dans les quelques structures existantes, cependant, les conditions d’insécurité et les mesures limitant la circulation des personnes ont aggravé encore davantage cette situation ;
• S’agissant de l’accès aux soins des femmes spécifiquement, les difficultés d’accès aux soins impactent la santé maternelle et expliquent largement le fait que l’accouchement ait lieu à la maison pour la majorité des femmes ;
• Les maladies les plus répandues sont le paludisme et la diarrhée ; la malnutrition est observée particulièrement chez les enfants à un taux proche du seuil d’urgence ;
• En terme d’accès à l’eau, il n’y pas suffisamment de forages pour qu’ils soient la principale source d’eau potable de la population, celle-ci doit donc utiliser des puits ;
• L’assainissement est également critique et les latrines sont absentes de la zone ;
• Au regard du niveau de scolarisation, si la majorité des villages disposent d’une école primaire fonctionnelle, moins de la moitié des enfants du village la fréquentent du fait du manque d’enseignants et/ou de fournitures scolaires – l’augmentation de l’insécurité et les limitations de mouvement, impactent particulièrement le manque d’enseignants et l’accessibilité des écoles ;
• La sécurité alimentaire est une des principales causes de déplacements dans la région : les principales sources de nourriture pour les habitants sont les marchés et la production personnelle. Ils ont tous deux été négativement affectés par l’état d’urgence (les sources de revenus auraient diminué à cause de l’absence de clients, des difficultés de circulation et d’approvisionnement. De plus, l’accès au marché a été négativement affecté par la limitation de mouvements imposés aux personnes et aux biens) ;
• Le manque de moyens pour répondre aux prix du marché et à la crainte de s’y rendre sont des facteurs influençant directement le manque de nourriture des populations affectées ;
• La plupart des gens sont forcés d’emprunter de l’argent afin d’avoir les ressources nécessaires pour se procurer de la nourriture. Des acteurs humanitaires ont organisés des distributions alimentaires dans différentes sous-préfectures au bénéfice, principalement, des déplacés.

conclure, il est possible d’observer, de manière générale, que les déplacements sont causés par différents facteurs en plus de l’augmentation des violences observée depuis janvier 2015, comme l’insécurité alimentaire et le besoin d’accès à la nourriture. Avant la crise, la région était déjà sujette à de graves problèmes de sécurité alimentaire. Suite à l’imposition de l’état d’urgence, une pression supplémentaire s’est ajoutée à l’économie de la région, entrainant la diminution de productions personnelles et influençant négativement les marchés. Une analyse des marchés et des moyens pouvant permettre de les revitaliser est envisageable afin de permettre un meilleur accès à la nourriture et de minimiser l’impact de cette cause de déplacements. Les distributions alimentaires devraient être rapidement mieux reparties afin d’éviter d’exacerber, dans un futur proche, les tensions entre communautés hôtes et populations déplacées. Les services de base, déjà faibles avant la crise, restent précaires pour tous et ont été affectés par l’état d’urgence. Toutefois, le secteur d’intervention le plus urgent est celui de l’accès à l’eau et à l’assainissement. En effet, les latrines sont pratiquement absentes dans la zone et les forages, en nombre insuffisant, ne sont pas la première source d’eau potable de la population.

Le projet vise à mettre à disposition de la communauté humanitaire une information précise et actualisée à laquelle les acteurs humanitaires sont invités à contribuer en partageant leurs besoins en termes d’information.

Statement read by UNDP Nigeria Country Director, Pa Lamin Beyai, on behalf of the UN Resident Coordinator/UN Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Nigeria, Fatma Samoura

I am pleased to be here with you today and to welcome you to Abuja for this ECOWAS regional training workshop on the development of a common Disaster Recovery Framework based on the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) methodology for the Horn Africa Region.

This training is intended to provide you with practical tools that will allow ECOWAS to participate in “Post-Disaster Needs Assessment” (PDNA) which will not only help in identifying post disaster recovery needs, especially in cases of major disasters, but also support national authorities in the design of a people centered “Disaster Recovery Framework” through South-South Cooperation. This region, as we all know, is prone to droughts and flooding. The El Nino weather phenomena in particular, and the critical issue of Lake Chad, poses major challenges to the region which have resulted in disasters that have adversely impacted on livelihoods and human security. Most critical for the region are the challenges brought about by the military insurgency in the North East which has compromised human security and dignity, and has significantly hindered the ability of national authorities to provide protection and support to communities, safeguard their sources of livelihood and protect their rights.

The current regional context is taking place in a setting characterized by a number of factors such poverty, high inequality, poor social and economic opportunities, nascent rule of law and low levels of accountability and legitimacy of state, climate change and environmental degradation. This is further fuelling violent extremism and perceived social injustice.

Ladies and Gentlemen, in 2008 the United Nations Development Group (UNDG), the European Union (EU) and the World Bank (WB) signed a joint declaration committing our Organizations to harmonize post‐crisis frameworks to support post-disaster needs assessments and recovery planning.

Since this agreement was signed, the three partners have jointly prepared the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) guidelines and the Disaster Recovery Framework (DRF) guide, which were launched at the Sendai Third World Conference on DRR on 14 March 2015.

This set of tools was developed to respond to a number of challenges that were identified during recovery processes in the past decades. These include:

Significant response time gaps and a lack of continuous, sustained attention from governments and international partners;
Recovery plans tend to be stand-alone and delinked from national development strategies;
Capacity limitations in terms of planning and implementing recovery processes; and “Risk blind” recovery plans that have not paid attention long term disaster vulnerabilities The Post Disaster Needs Assessment and the Disaster Recovery Framework, have been developed primarily to help Governments and their people to:

• Coordinate disaster recovery planning;

• Prioritize, sequence and guide transparent resource allocation;

• Facilitate multi-sector recovery planning;

• Ensure aid effectiveness; and

-Address short term needs and longer term disaster vulnerability

Distinguished Participants,

I would like to emphasize that we can and we must make sure that post disaster recovery processes are used as opportunities to promote resilient development especially in a region like ours that faces multiple challenges everyday - simple rebuilding will only replicate the conditions which make communities vulnerable to natural disasters.

Recovery and reconstruction means building back better. We need to look at what conditions made our infrastructure and livelihoods vulnerable to natural disasters and ensure that these conditions are not replicated during the recovery phase. We need to come up with measures to reduce exposure to future natural hazards – this is the essence of being Resilient. It means having the ability to Prevent, Absorb, Adapt and Transform ourselves in situations of disasters.

Disasters in Africa and in the Horn of Africa, in particular, and beyond are increasing vulnerabilities and exposure and put economic growth and human development gains at risk.

Climatic and hydrological hazards, in particular, droughts, floods are increasing in frequency and severity, these are compounded by climate change, environmental degradation and the rate of urbanization.

During this training workshop, I would like to strongly encourage you all to share your knowledge and experience of conducting assessments in the region, in particular the process for collecting and analyzing data and the process for developing recovery plans that are people centered. Adaptability and context are key in this exercise – as we may all know Resilience is about context. We see this specifically in the Nigerian context, where the challenges in the North East and other parts of the country, cannot be fully addressed when one simply looks at Nigeria as the largest economy in Africa. There are 36 States, each with varying degrees of vulnerabilities, crises, and most importantly opportunities to address on-going crises and post conflict recovery. Through extensive consultation and collaboration, the Nigeria is in the process of completing its North East Recovery and Peace Building Assessment under the leadership of the Office of the Vice President and six States of the region.

We trust that this regional workshop will provide a good opportunity to further share Nigeria’s experience in undertaking this process and proposed recommendations to move forward.

Indeed, your participation in this training comes with the responsibility to share your experiences and utilize the knowledge gained for the region.

I would like to take this opportunity to extend our appreciation to the many agencies that took part in supporting the development and finalization of the PDNA and DRF training package which we will be sharing with you over the next few days. All sectors and segments of society are affected by disasters and Governments need to be able to count on the expertise of each of our agencies.

To conclude I would like to extend our special thanks to ECOWAS for coordinating this workshop for the region, and the World Bank for their commitment to fund this important effort to enhance the effectiveness of our support to the Governments we serve. This workshop is an important step in strengthening the partnership between our respective institutions in the interest of regional and national priorities of ECOWAS.

Thank you for your attention.

Maiduguri, 1 April 2016 - “The situation in Maiduguri is critical, there is need for all development and humanitarian actors to scale up their support to complement efforts by the government in Borno State.” Said Fatma Samoura, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator who is also UNDP Resident Representative, at the end of her first mission to the North East of Nigeria.

Ms. Samoura visited Maiduguri 31 March – 1 April 2016 during which period she met State Authorities, humanitarian actors from International Non-Governmental Organisations, Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in camps and informal host communities.

Ms. Samoura used the visit to the epicentre of the more than 5 year old military insurgency that has ravaged the region, to engage with State authorities, humanitarian actors and UN Staff working in providing the much needed humanitarian assistance. The visit was an opportunity to appreciate the extent to which their interventions were addressing the vulnerable population’s immediate needs and explore ways of enhancing UN support to both the Federal and State Governments’ efforts.

Nearly 15 million civilians have been affected by the Boko Haram insurgency which has resulted in over 2.2 million being displaced and over 170,000 forced to migrate to other countries. Borno State has been the most affected with 2 million IDPs. During her visit to Maiduguri, Ms. Samoura, while commending the efforts of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in providing the support to the victims of violent extremism, appealed to the humanitarian community to supplement these efforts as the IDPs and host communities’ needs exceed the current capacity of the State Authorities and humanitarian actors operating in Borno State.

After visiting Dalori I IDPs Camp in Maiduguri, Ms. Samoura commended the local authorities for ensuring that people were provided with at least two balanced meals per day, children, even those from IDP Camps were being allowed to go to public schools, health facilities had been set up and competent human resources deployed. Dalori I Camp hosts over 30,000 IDPs.

Ms. Samoura however noted that a lot of attention was being given to victims sheltered in formal IDP camps. This, she said, was at the expense of the more than 90% IDPs who are being looked after by host families and communities. “The level of assistance needed by host families and communities has not been met by the international community and humanitarian actors on the ground. There are discrepancies in the treatment being received by IDPs in camps and those in host families – this is further consigning the already vulnerable people to more suffering," she stated. The situation requires urgent attention as it may get worse after the rainy season sets in.

Close to 2 million people are still residing in host communities and their coping mechanisms have begun to be eroded. While women are engaged in knitting, men are engaged as labourer in the city. “These people are in urgent need of support to rebuild their livelihoods.” Ms. Samoura emphasized as she called for enhanced presence of NGOs in the area to help with provision of food supplies, primary health care as well as shelters, water and sanitation.

Within the region, close to 4 million people are food insecure, 2.5 million are malnourished, 3.6 million have no access to safe drinking water, close to 2 million have no access to adequate sanitation, more than 3.5 million are in urgent need of healthcare and over 2 million are still leaving in makeshift shelters.

As the insurgency continues to affect remote communities in North East of Nigeria, thousands of civilians stranded in areas hard to reach by humanitarian actors are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Ms. Samoura said she was exploring ways of or working with the national and state authorities to ensure that these people are reached and much needed aid is provided.

During the visit to Borno State, Ms Samoura had an opportunity to meet with the Executive Governor Kashim Shettima whom she commended for his leadership and commitment in addressing the conditions of the IDPs in the State. She further expressed appreciation for the role he has played in ensuring dignified and safe living conditions for this population. “The UN System in Nigeria is encouraged by the State Governments commitment to supporting the return of IDPs in a voluntary and well informed manner, where conditions for a safe return are guaranteed.” She stated.

Ms. Samoura stressed that it was important that IDPs are returned to their areas of origin in a safe and dignified manner, and that relocations are undertaken in accordance with humanitarian principles. She used the meeting to reaffirm UN support and commitment to supporting his efforts in this regard and that the UN stood ready to support mechanisms that will be developed to facilitate the return of IDPs to their areas of origin.

Ms. Samoura further stated that the humanitarian community warmly received the Governor's decision to open schools that had been hosting IDPs for the last year. She added: “In order to scale up support from and enhance coordination of our humanitarian response, and in light of the significant challenge that the crisis presents, I have decided that the centre of coordination be moved to Maiduguri and UN senior staff will be deployed accordingly".

Governor Kashim Shettina expressed gratitude to UN System in Nigeria for the efforts deployed in supporting local authorities respond to the crisis. He emphasized that urgent support was needed in rebuilding Borno State, providing primary health care, water and sanitation, employment opportunities and most importantly education. While acknowledging the support being provided by the Federal Government and humanitarian actors in the State, he said a huge gap still remains. “I have the firm intention to reinvigorate the agricultural sector and I want to invest in the whole value chain of the sector because I strongly believe that this will help create employment opportunities for my people.” He stated.

“I have spoken to the Executive Governor of Borno, officials from NEMA and SEMA on their capacity to respond to the most urgent needs. They are urgently appealing to the humanitarian community as well as the international community to support them as their capacities have been outstretched already … for us in the UN we remain fully committed to delivering all projects articulated under the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan.” Ms. Samoura concluded.

The visit in Maiduguri was also an opportunity for Ms. Samoura to handover to the Executive Governor 10,000 female dignity kits and 144 comprehensive reproductive health kits for the benefit of some survivors of Boko Haram insurgency and communities in which they live. "We know that the ongoing insurgency puts the lives and livelihoods of civilians at risk and the UN stands shoulder to shoulder with the Government of Nigeria to provide humanitarian assistance to survivors, especially vulnerable women and girls" She stayed.

During her visit to Maiduguri, Ms. Samoura was accompanied by Mohamed El Munir A. Safieldin, Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator (DHC) Vincent Lelei, Head of Office OCHA Nigeria and Koffi Kouame, UNFPA Deputy Representative.

Mr Lucky Musonda
lucky.musonda@undp.org

by Alex Thurston

Niger held the second round of its presidential elections on March 20th. Amid a partial opposition boycott and the medical and legal difficulties facing his main challenger, incumbent President Mahamadou Issoufou won a sweeping victory. Issoufou will begin his second term in a climate suffused with worries about security throughout West Africa. It is a climate that could reinforce his international image as a key player in regional stabilization efforts. At the same time, the mechanisms of his victory included significant repression of dissent, raising questions about whether Niger’s domestic political space will contract further in the five years to come.

With recent attacks on upscale hotels in Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Mali—including a fresh attack on March 22nd—and with ongoing violence in the Lake Chad Basin associated with Nigeria’s Boko Haram movement, Issoufou can expect regional security to be a major theme during his second term. This will mark substantial continuity with the recent past. As I have written previously in the Global Observatory and elsewhere, Issoufou’s firm term was marked by securitization—his administration’s focus on combating al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Boko Haram, while preventing any domestic rebellions—and by a partial closure of political space, involving arrests of opposition leaders and civil society activists.

Analyst Tommy Miles has argued that “by 2013, the wheels had come off” Issoufou’s promised program of domestic development and prosperity for Niger. The president embraced the “War on Terror,” Miles explains, in part because of these domestic setbacks. Whatever the cause, security is a major element of Issoufou’s platform; after casting his own vote on March 20th, he said, “A single term in office is not enough to overcome all the challenges, in particular I am thinking of the security challenges.”

If 2013 marked the beginning of intensive securitization in Niger, that was also the date when Issoufou’s winning electoral coalition from 2011 fragmented, most notably when the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hama Amadou, moved into the opposition. From August 2013 to the present, the political climate has been tense in Niger; this is symbolized by Amadou’s exile from Niger from 2014-2015, and his imprisonment from 2015-2016, even as he emerged to become Issoufou’s main challenger in this year’s elections.

During this electoral campaign, Issoufou has not engaged in the kind of blatant vote rigging that some of his West African peers have attempted. If he had, one would not have expected him to fall short of the 50% mark in the first round, which took place on February 21st. Such a result would have allowed him to win outright; his tally of 48% triggered a runoff with Amadou, who had placed second with nearly 18%. Yet Issoufou used law enforcement to tremendously constrain Amadou’s campaign, holding the former speaker in a remote prison and arresting other politicians as well as prominent opposition voices from wider society, such as the singer Hamsou Garba. The second-round voting occurred amid a heavy security deployment and restrictions on political assembly in the capital Niamey.

In the end, Amadou was not even present in Niger on the day of second-round voting; on March 16th, he was evacuated to France for medical treatment, leading to considerable speculation that his imprisonment had left him greatly weakened. Matters were further complicated by a partial opposition boycott of the second round. An opposition coalition, COPA 2016, announced the boycott in early March, but Amadou’s name remained on the ballot and he did not officially withdraw.

Suppression of the opposition and the boycott confusion helped Issoufou to achieve a decisive second-round victory: nearly 93% voted for him, and around 7% for Amadou, though Amadou may gain a bit as further results are released. According to official preliminary results, turnout fell somewhat, from nearly 67% in the first round to just over 60% in the second, and the official estimate of the overall second round turnout rate has been reported as 56%. Yet lower turnout alone may not explain the outcome: if the official results are credible, this means that Issoufou may have not only courted the non-Amadou opposition, but also attracted some of Amadou’s own supporters. COPA 2016 has rejected the second round as a “sham,” but if Issoufou’s high numbers hold in the final results, he will likely claim a sweeping mandate for continuity.

This victory does not, however, position Issoufou to become an absolutist ruler in Niger; there are historical limits to what the country’s political system will tolerate. Issoufou began his first term in 2011 after winning an election organized by a short-lived, caretaker military regime. That regime came to power in 2010 after the previous civilian president, Mamadou Tandja, rammed through a constitutional referendum that gave him a third, extra-constitutional term in office. Tandja’s experience may lead Issoufou to never even consider raising the issue of a third term for himself.

Looking ahead, Issoufou’s immediate concerns center on security, both in terms of restoring full control over the southeastern Diffa Region, which has been badly affected by Boko Haram, and by preventing attacks elsewhere, especially in the capital. The spate of hotel attacks in West Africa has governments, expatriates, and major businesses spooked, and Issoufou will be at pains to ensure that Niamey does not become the next site of a hotel assault. The emphasis on prevention will likely lead Issoufou to continue pressuring the international community to escalate its military interventions in Libya, Niger’s least stable neighbor.

How this atmosphere will affect the political space at home is an open question. In May 2015, Nigerien security forces detained human rights activists who had criticized the government’s handling of security and humanitarian issues amid the anti-Boko Haram campaign in Diffa. On the one hand, with the elections now past, Issoufou could be more tolerant of criticism; on the other hand, security measures may become increasingly forceful, including against civilians. The administration may decide that it wants to avoid international embarrassment and muffle the few domestic activists who have the access and platforms to document and publicize controversial developments in remote regions. If there are further detentions of human rights activists, it will be one sign that securitization in Niger is still coming with a significant price.

Originally Published in the Global Observatory

Chibok, Nigeria | AFP | Monday 4/4/2016 - 03:39 GMT

by Phil HAZLEWOOD

There's not much left of the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, northeast Nigeria, where Boko Haram kidnapped 276 teenagers in the dead of night nearly two years ago.

Even the word "girls" on the school sign outside has been painted over in black -- hidden from the world, just like the 219 students who are still missing.

Up the dusty track and beyond the heavy wrought-iron gates, soldiers stand guard with assault rifles, although there are few buildings and no people to protect.

Only the peeling light-green walls of the school's main school building remain. Metal beams that supported the roof lie rusting. Rough grass pokes through shattered concrete.

The government of Nigeria's former president Goodluck Jonathan announced shortly before last year's election that rebuilding work had begun at the school.

But apart from piles of breeze blocks, there's no evidence of any construction. The sprawling site is silent apart from the sound of cicadas and gusts of hot wind through the desert scrub.

Ayuba Alamson Chibok steps through the rubble where the girls' dormitories once stood, picking up a bed frame from the scorched earth -- one of the few signs the site was once inhabited.

"If the government wanted to do something, let them call the contractor... to put somebody on the ground," the town elder told AFP, his voice rising in anger.

"Education here in Chibok has really come to zero level. This is the only school we have in Chibok and it has been destroyed."

- Abandoned -

The second anniversary of the mass kidnapping on April 14 will bring renewed attention to the remote town in southern Borno state, which was little known until two years ago but is now synonomous with the brutal conflict.

Parents of the abducted girls plan to gather at the school on the day itself to pray for their safe return, said Yakubu Nkeki, from a support group helping those left behind.

But 16 fathers and two mothers will not be there, he said. They have either died or are now among the estimated 20,000 killed in the nearly seven-year Islamist insurgency.

Others live with the physical and psychological effects of the disappearances. High blood pressure and stomach ulcers are common, he said.

Yet despite the global outrage online at the kidnapping and promises of action, many people in Chibok say they feel abandoned.

"Nothing has been done," said Nkeki, a primary school teacher, questioning why nearby towns recently liberated from Boko Haram have since been able to re-open schools.

The Government Girls Secondary School was the only state-run school in Chibok but it has been shut since the kidnapping. Calls for a boys school have come to nothing, he said.

"Really, Boko Haram has achieved its aim by saying they don't want Western education," he added.

- Hardship -

In the town, life goes on as best it can. Upturned bicycles are repaired in the street, hawkers trade groundnuts from see-through plastic buckets and boys push wheelbarrows full of tart oranges.

The single main street, like the dirt road in to and out of the town, is unpaved. Every vehicle kicks up choking dust. Electricity cables hang to the ground from damaged poles.

In January, three suicide bombers killed 13 people in Chibok. At the mosque, worshippers, including young children, are now screened outside for explosives.

Vigilantes assisting the military stand guard with single-shot, home-made muskets in a town that has been largely inaccessible because of insecurity.

"We have hardship," admitted Buluma Dawa, a 56-year-old bookseller. "There is no light, no water, no road and security-wise it's not enough for us in Chibok."

Dawa and others are at a loss to explain why, suggesting the state government has no interest in developing rural areas.

"We hope that on the two years' anniversary (of the kidnapping), we pray that people will remember Chibok because... nothing is improving at all...

"We have a lot of children living at home without doing anything... They will suffer, there is nothing else.

"If there is no education the poor people cannot even achieve."

- Waiting -

Some of the missing schoolgirls' parents can be found in Mbalala, a 10-minute drive from Chibok through an area still known for Boko Haram activity.

There's little movement in the market place, only the sound of children playing, the bleating of goats and an imam's sermon over the loudspeakers of the mosque.

Young girls in blue and white hijabs sit on piles of mud bricks; boys wash a goat tethered to a pole while others fetch water from a well, pouring it into plastic buckets.

Yawale Dunya is among the men sitting mostly silently on benches in the shade of cracked mud-brick houses or cross-legged playing cards.

The 41-year-old farmer has been able to do little else since his 15-year-old daughter Hawa was abducted. His fingers pick distractedly at prayer beads.

Military successes against the insurgents have kept his hopes alive of Hawa's return and he runs through the scenario repeatedly in his head.

"When I see my daughter coming back to me I will feel very much joy in my heart," he said.

"All the small sickness and other things will disappear and I will be very happy in my life."

phz/sf/ns

© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

Nigeria Situation: UNHCR Regional Update No. 21 (1 - 29 February 2016)

Bamako, 4 avril 2016 : Cette année encore, UNMAS et tous les partenaires de la lutte antimines au Mali ont tenu à célébrer la journée internationale de la sensibilisation au problème des mines et de l’assistance à la lutte antimines afin de sensibiliser la population malienne aux menaces posées par les restes explosifs de guerres, mines et autres engins explosifs. Dans plusieurs localités du pays, dont Gao, Tombouctou, ou Mopti, UNMAS à déployé des banderoles rappelant à la population qu’en présence d’engins explosifs, il ne faut surtout pas les toucher et prévenir les autorités pour qu’ils soient neutralisés ou détruits.

A Bamako, plusieurs évènements ont eu lieu dont l’organisation de deux événements sportifs organisés les 2 et 3 avril pas la fédération locale des associations de personnes handicapées et la fédération malienne de sport pour personnes handicapées. Ce 4 avril a également été l’occasion du lancement officiel du portfolio de projets humanitaires pour la lutte antimines dans le pays en 2016, en présence du Général Coulibaly, Directrice de la Commission Nationale des armes légères et petit calibres, et Mme Mbaranda Gasarabwe, Coordinatrice humanitaire pour les Nations Unies. Les 9 projets présentés, s’ils sont financés, pourront permettre d’organiser des sessions d’éducation aux risques pour les populations civiles, des enquêtes de contamination, la neutralisation et l destruction d’engins explosifs et l’assistance aux victimes.

L’impact de la présence d’engins explosifs au Mali :
Depuis mars 2012, 178 civils ont été victimes de restes explosifs de guerre, dont plus de la moitié sont des enfants. Depuis juillet 2013, 156 civils ont été victimes d’engins explosifs improvisés.
Toutefois, grâce aux efforts des acteurs de la lutte antimines :
 104 restes explosifs de guerre ont été détruits dans les régions du nord et du centre du Mali ;
 438 939 mètres carrés de terre ont été dépollués ;
 401 454 civils ont été sensibilisés aux risques des engins explosifs ;
 224 personnes ont reçu des soins de physiothérapie dans le cadre d’un projet d’appui à la réhabilitation physique des victimes d’incidents explosifs ;
 160 personnes handicapées, y compris des victimes d’accidents explosifs, ont bénéficié d’un appui socio-économique

Comme l’a écrit le Secrétaire Général des Nations Unies à l’occasion de cette journée internationale, « La lutte antimines est un investissement dans l’humanité. Elle favorise la pacification des sociétés en permettant aux personnes dans le besoin de recevoir une assistance, aux déplacés et aux réfugiés de retourner chez eux en toute sécurité et aux enfants d’aller à l’école. La lutte antimines permet de créer un environnement sans danger, où il est possible d’entreprendre des activités de développement et de reconstruction et de jeter les bases d’une paix durable (…)À l’occasion de cette Journée internationale, nous devons travailler ensemble à la réalisation de notre objectif : un monde débarrassé des mines et restes explosifs de guerre ».

Pour plus de renseignements
Sonia Pezier
soniap@unops.org
66755111

Summary: Since July 2014, a large number of Nigerian refugees have been registered by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Cameroon, specifically in the Mayo Tsanaga Division of the Far North Region, where the Minawao camp is located. By July 2015, UNHCR reported presence of 57,376 refugees in the region: 44,889 are hosted in the Minawao camp, while the remaining 12,487 within the host communities.

This population movement of Nigerians is as a result of armed insurgency in the North-East of Nigeria. Similar attacks have been perpetrated in Cameroon in the Mayo Sava and Mayo Tsanaga Divisions, leading to more than 30,000 internally displaced people. These figures are constantly increasing following the continuous arrival of more refugees and IDPs at the Minawao camp and various localities of the region.

Substantial assistance has been provided to the refugees and IDPs during the last few years and this situation has increased the operational capacities of various local and international NGOs, United Nations (UN) agencies and the Cameroon Red Cross (CRC) in this region.

It should be noted that initially designed to host a maximum of 20,000 people, the Minawao camp now hosts 44,889 people. This increased number of people in the camp has resulted in WASH facilities (water supply, latrines and showers) being overstretched. Access to water is below minimum standards with a gap of 386 m3, while the rate of construction of WASH facilities is far below the rate of increase of the population in the camp. There is also a shortage of wood for the construction of latrines and showers. The construction of the planned facilities in the camp will go a long way to improve hygiene and health conditions in the camp.

The Situation

In January 2015, IFRC called for action to assist with the population movement, resulting in an Emergency Appeal being launched to assist the displaced and refugees. A Regional Disaster Response Team (RDRT) member was deployed by the IFRC to support the National Society in implementing activities under the Emergency Appeal. Based in Maroua, the RDRT member worked in all the Divisions of the Far North Region and in close collaboration with the Coordinator in charge of population movements in the Region. The deployed RDRT coordinated implementation of planned activities with the IFRC Regional Disaster Management Coordinator for the Central Africa Region and the Disaster Management Director of the CRC.

The people of Mali have experienced frequent droughts, floods and epidemics along with chronic poverty. Added to this, there has been armed conflict in the north since 2012, causing population movement and increased vulnerability for the affected population.

The signing of a peace and reconciliation agreement in Mali brought hope for a better future in 2015. Humanitarian actors made advances in providing assistance to the people affected by the protracted crisis. In many areas, people are entirely dependent on humanitarian aid for basic services.

However, limited funding has meant that the humanitarian community was unable to cover all the needs in 2015. The low level of financing had a negative impact on the ability to reach the most vulnerable. The impact of under-funding of vital sectors, such as health care (23%) was felt through consequences such as increased infant mortality and the spread of disease and epidemics.

Health Sector Situation

In 2016, the health sector has identified needs related to non-functional health care structures, malnutrition, low immunization coverage rate.

The Health Cluster will focus its efforts on the following: ensuring access to an essential primary health care package (curative, preventive and promotional); strengthening surveillance systems, warning and response to diseases with epidemic potential (measles, cholera, meningitis, malaria, etc.); strengthening the health information system; detecting and supporting the care of severe acute malnutrition at community health centre and reference health centre level; and strengthening coordination mechanisms.

Health Cluster Objectives

Objective 1: Strengthen the health information system in 17 health districts.

Objective 2: Increase the health care coverage for the populations of 17 health districts.

Objective 3: Improve the epidemic and disaster preparation and response system.

Beneficiaries targeted by health partners in 2016

The Health Cluster is focusing on supporting 203 health structures and targeting two million people.

The beneficiary population is composed of:

• 54% children (0-17 yrs)
  
• 43% adults
  
• 3% elderly

This population is made up of 49.85% women and 50.15 % men.

Geographical areas targeted by health partners in 2016

The interventions of the cluster will target the regions of Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal and three sanitary districts of Mopti (Douentza, Tenenkou and Youwarou).

Health Cluster funding requirements for 2016

US$ 10 143 414 (health partners including WHO)

WHO funding requirements for 2016

WHO is requesting a total of US$ 1 396 293

NOTE D’INFORMATION

Dakar, 30 Mars 2016- Dans le cadre de sa traditionnelle rencontre thématique « Arbre à Palabres », le Bureau des Nations Unies pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest et le Sahel (UNOWAS) a abrité, le 29 mars 2016, une rencontre sur le thème : « L’Exclusion sociale : l’autre défi de la stabilité, de la paix et de la Sécurité en Afrique de l’Ouest ».

L’objectif de cette rencontre était d’échanger sur les conséquences de l’exclusion sociale et sur les moyens à mettre en place pour éradiquer ce phénomène et contenir son impact sur la stabilité socio-politique des pays de la sous-région. Ces échanges visaient aussi à formuler un plan pour inclure l’exclusion sociale dans les stratégies de prévention des conflits et de consolidation de la paix.

Quatre thèmes ont été abordés durant cette session interactive. Il s’agit de : « la problématique d’intégration socio-professionnelle des jeunes, gage d’une stabilité politique et sociale durable », présentée par Hervé Huot Marchand, spécialiste de Programme et coordonnateur régional sur Education, la Formation Technique et Professionnelle (EFTP) du Bureau régional de l’UNESCO à Dakar ; « l’esclavage persistant en Afrique de l’Ouest : le cas du Niger », de Me Hamani Assoumane, juriste, défenseur des droits humains, qui est intervenu depuis Niamey au Niger ; « l’esclavage persistant en Afrique de l’Ouest : le cas de la Mauritanie », une contribution de Mamadou Sarr, secrétaire exécutif du Forum national pour les droits de l’homme (FONADH), qui est intervenu depuis Nouakchott en Mauritanie ; et enfin « l’apatridie en Afrique de l’Ouest », sujet traité par Emmanuelle Mitte, de l’Unité Apatridie du Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés (UNHCR).

Plusieurs recommandations ont été proposées par les participants. Il s’agit, notamment, d’assurer aux jeunes une éducation de base pour leur permettre d’accéder aux emplois disponibles ; de mettre un accent sur la formation des jeunes filles pour résorber la grande disparité de genre dans le secteur de l’éducation ; de mener des activités de sensibilisation auprès des communautés affectées, pour que les victimes d’esclavage puissent saisir les cours et tribunaux pour obtenir justice ; de travailler dans la durée et à l’aide d’actions de sensibilisation et d’éducation, pour un changement de mentalité des communautés concernées par l’esclavage ; et enfin de veiller à la mise en oeuvre de la Déclaration d’Abidjan que les 15 Etats de la CEDEAO ont adopté pour mettre fin à l’apatridie.

Cette première édition de l’« Arbre à palabres » de l’année 2016 a permis d’explorer de nouvelles pistes pour continuer le débat sous la forme d’un atelier sous-régional, en élargissant cette question importante à d’autres préoccupations telles que l’enregistrement des naissances afin d’obtenir des actes de naissance conférant la personnalité juridique, l’insertion socioprofessionnelle des jeunes, le développement durable et la lutte contre la pauvreté, la lutte contre le terrorisme, et l’équité et l’égalité de genre.

Une trentaine de participants représentants des organisations de la société civile, des Associations de jeunes, du système des Nations Unies, des chercheurs et d’experts indépendants ont pris part aux échanges dans la salle de conférence d’UNOWAS.

« L’Arbre à Palabres » est une plateforme périodique d’échanges et de réflexions sur l’état de la gouvernance, les droits de l’homme, l’Etat de droit, la paix et la sécurité en Afrique de l’Ouest et au Sahel.

Bureau de la Communication et de l’Information Publique
Kouider Zerrouk, Chef de bureau – (+221) 33-869-8560 / 77- 3324928 – zerrouk@un.org
Vicky Delore Ndjeuga, Chargé de communication – (+221) 33-869-8544 / 77- 3339414 – ndjeuga@un.org
Angelita Mendy Diop, Chargée de communication – (+221) 33-869-8547 / 77-450-6181– mendya@un.org

KEY DRIVERS OF THE CRISIS

• Recurring natural disasters such as droughts and floods combined with the volatility of markets, pushed many households and communities into chronic vulnerability.

• Conflict in northern Nigeria and CAR continue to displace refugees to Cameroon, and causes internal displacements. In addition, increasing insecurity in the far North of Cameroon and along the border of CAR hampers humanitarian access.

• Poor coverage of sanitation and access to clean water remain the main causes of malnutrition and water-borne diseases.

N'Djamena, Chad | AFP | Monday 4/4/2016 - 18:01 GMT

Police in Chad arrested a fifth leading activist Monday on the eve of a banned anti-government rally planned days before polls in which President Idrissy Deby Itno is seeking to extend his 26-year rule.

Albissaty Salhe Alazam, one of the leaders of the "Ca suffit" (That's Enough) protest movement, was detained by police in the capital N'Djamena after being summoned for questioning, a spokesman for the movement said.

"This state of affairs confirms the government's desire to snuff out democratic values in Chad," Bertrand Sohhoh Ngandjel told a press conference, held with the Chadian trade union confederation and another rights coalition named "Trop c'est trop" (Enough is Enough).

The groups vowed to push ahead with a "peaceful march for a democratic transition of power" in N'Djamena on Tuesday, despite it being banned, and warned the security forces against "any repression of unarmed demonstrators".

Demonstrations have been banned across the desert state of 13 million since opponents of Deby's quest to win a fifth term in elections on Sunday took to the streets in February.

Four protest leaders have been held for two weeks on charges of attempting to disturb the peace for urging anti-government demonstrations.

To protest their arrests civil society representatives last week pulled out of several state institutions, including the electoral commission.

Anger at the government was already running high following the gang rape in February of a young woman by the sons of several leading officials who posted images of her on Facebook, naked and crying. The video triggered nationwide student protests.

The security forces cracked down on the demonstrations, killing two youths.

Deby, an ex-armed forces chief who seized power in 1990 after toppling his former rival Hissene Habre, faces 13 challengers in the first round of the presidential election on April 10.

jpc/cb/boc

© 1994-2016 Agence France-Presse

CONTEXTE

L’une des principales préoccupations de la région, en particulier dans les cercles de Yelimané, Nioro, Diéma et Kayes, est l’accès à l’eau. Paradoxalement, selon la direction régionale de l’hydraulique, on constate une faible présence des acteurs humanitaires et de développement dans ce secteur. Sur le plan épidémiologique, des cas de rougeole, de fièvre jauve et de fièvre de la valée du rift parfois suivi de décès ont été enregistrés. Par ailleurs, de nombreux cas de malnutrition ont été enregistrés dans les différents cercles. Enfin, les 13 000 réfugiés mauritaneines présents dans la région et les communautés d’accueil continuent de bénéfier des programmes mis en œuvre par les acteurs humanitaires.

CONTEXTE

La présence des PDI dans la région de Koulikoro s’avère de nos jours de moins en moins perceptible par rapport à 2013 et 2014. Des rapatriés venant des pays voisins ont été enregistrés ces deux dernières années dans les communes de Kati et Kalabancoro situées dans le cercle de Kati. Par ailleurs, la région a accueilli en 2015 un nombre important de migrants refoulés de Libye, RCA et Guinée équatoriale. Des cas d’inondations ont été enregistrés dans les cercles de Nara et Kolokani. Sur le plan sécuritaire, la région n’a pas enregistré de cas de terrorisme au cours de l’année. Cependant, selon la DRDSES, les interventions des humanitaires restent concentrées dans le cercle de Kati.