Transitional justice and democratisation nexus:

• Challenges of confronting legacies of past injustices and promoting reconciliation within weak institutions in Kenya
• The civilianisation of ex-combatants of the Niger Delta:
  Progress and challenges in reintegration
• The quest for Great Heart Leadership to activate and promote the ending of violent conflict in Africa
• Ethnic and religious crises in Nigeria: A specific analysis upon identities (1999–2013)
  
• The role of civil society in conflict resolution in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1998–2006: An appraisal

Introductory comments

In my capacity as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of internally displaced persons, I carried out a visit to the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 23rd to 26th August 2016 at the invitation of the Government. The objective of my visit was to consult with the Government and other key national and international stakeholders on the main issues concerning internal displacement, consider ongoing challenges that Nigeria faces with regard to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and assistance to them, as well as to identify humanitarian, human rights and protection concerns facing IDPs.

I began my four day visit in the Federal Capital, Abuja, where I held meetings with senior Government officials with responsibility for internal displacement responses, United Nations agencies and bodies and numerous other national and international stakeholders. I also visited Maiduguri in Borno State, which is recognized as being at the epicentre of the insurgency by Boko Haram since 2009 that has caused conflict and mass displacement. During my visit to Maiduguru, I consulted with Borno State officials, UN Agencies and other members of the humanitarian community. I visited several camps for IDPs in the vicinity of Maiduguri to consult directly with IDPs and those providing assistance and support to them, and to learn about their circumstances, needs, protection concerns and expectations. I regret that I was unable to visit several camps in more remote and newly liberated areas outside Maiduguri in which conditions are of particular concern, due to insecurity and time limitations.

The findings presented here represent only my preliminary observations and do not reflect the full range of issues that were brought to my attention, nor do they reflect all of the initiatives on the part of the Government of Nigeria. Over the coming weeks, I will be reviewing the information I have received in order to develop my full country visit report which will be presented to the Government of Nigeria and the United Nations Human Rights Council at its 35th Session in June 2017.

General observations

Although I examined all aspects of internal displacement, my visit focused on the situation in the north-east region of Nigeria that has been deeply affected by the insurgency and the capture of large areas of territory by Boko Haram terrorists since 2009. In recent months offensives by Government security forces have regained much of the territory previously under the control of Boko Haram. Yet the civilian population caught up in the fighting have borne the brunt of the conflict. Thousands have been killed and over 2.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes within the region and to other parts of the country. 186,000 have taken refuge in neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon. 106,000 Nigerians have returned to Nigeria, some of them under conditions that did not meet international standards. This situation constitutes a major national emergency, the scale of which is only just beginning to be revealed as people flee or are forced to leave newly liberated areas by security forces.

The situation of many of the IDPs in the North-east is grave and should no longer be downplayed. It is not too late to save many lives. The Government and the international community must now act to ensure that urgent food, shelter, medical care, water and sanitation and other essential services reach IDPs without delay. IDPs, the vast majority of whom are women and children, continue to face a range of threats to their physical safety in some areas. Many are traumatized by the violence that prompted them to flee and are afraid to return. Civilians, particularly those in newly accessible areas, require urgent protection services including psychosocial support. Those whose homes have been damaged or destroyed by conflict and flooding have little to return to. While military operations have regained much territory, Boko Haram remains a menacing and dangerous presence in the region with the potential to terrorize and displace many thousands more.

The gravity and extent of this crisis is only now being revealed as civilians leave newly liberated areas with the symptoms of advanced malnutrition, particularly affecting children, and the trauma of having been caught in a conflict which has cost them their homes, their livelihoods and their family members.

Humanitarian and protection concerns

I was disturbed to learn of the dire situation in terms of food insecurity in the IDP camps and in the general population and host communities in some regions of the north-east. People are reportedly dying of starvation daily in some IDP camps that are difficult to reach by humanitarian actors. IDPs in over 20 camps around Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, are left hungry due to shortages of supplies with many surviving on only one basic meal per day. Many of those arriving in IDP camps were already reported to be severely malnourished. Years of insurgency in the region have devastated crop production and harvests. In addition a military strategy to block supplies of food to regions held by Boko Haram has had a devastating impact on local civilian populations. Allegations have also been made of officials diverting and selling food and other items including medicines, toiletries and beddings.

A gross underestimation of the crisis means that current supplies will last only days and are far outstripped by the huge needs both now and in the weeks or months ahead. The UN says that some 250,000 children may be suffering from severe and possibly life threatening malnutrition in the region. I received reports that children are dying daily right now from starvation and disease. Even in relatively well serviced IDP camps in the vicinity of Maiduguri where food is more plentiful, demonstrations were held during the period of my visit to complain about the poor provision of food. Improving access for humanitarian agencies is essential to delivering much needed assistance to IDPs. Yet the security situation remains perilous in some regions and humanitarian access is severely constrained. The World Food Programme only received permission to operate in the region in March 2016.

In addition access to medical care is severely limited and medical facilities must be urgently improved with the greatest demand being in inaccessible and newly liberated areas. Many IDPs, and particularly women and children require urgent treatment for malnutrition, while many are deeply traumatized by the violence that prompted them to flee or by the violations and abuse that they have suffered since. They require urgent psycho-social support that is largely absent. Cramped and unhygienic conditions may lead to communicable diseases and the healthcare needs of many most vulnerable persons including pregnant women and infants are not being met to the extent required.

The full spectrum of protection concerns exist in the north-east region. While a vital series of protection assessment have been carried out, a much deeper understanding of the protection issues faced by IDPs and affected populations is needed. It is important that protection actors continue to strengthen their mechanism for systematic and effective protection monitoring with a view to supporting robust responses. Of particular concern are the protection challenges faced by some of the most vulnerable who include women and girls, unaccompanied children, older persons, persons with disabilities, and those who have been deeply traumatised by violence, brutality, starvation and displacement. The challenges facing children are particularly acute and most remain out of education. Schools are frequently used as IDP shelters which also impacts on the education access of those in host communities.

Camps should offer protection for those in need yet I am alarmed to learn that many are in fact the settings for violence, exploitation and abuse of the most vulnerable. The situation of women and girls in IDP camps and conflict affected areas is of particular concern and requires urgent action. I was informed of allegations of rape, sexual and gender based violence, widespread incidence of survival sex and organised and survival prostitution. Women and girls reportedly face coercion into providing sexual favours in order to obtain their food rations for themselves and their children or to move outside of camps. As a consequence a high number of pregnancies, including among young girls and early marriages is evident. While the Government acknowledged this situation to some extent, I found a tendency to downplay the problem of sexual violence and abuse. I am concerned that this constitutes a hidden crisis of abuse with fear, stigma and cultural factors as well as impunity for perpetrators leading to under-reporting of abuse to the relevant authorities.

A group of three of my fellow Special Rapporteurs with mandates relating to children, slavery and health, visited Nigeria in January 2016(1) and found evidence of sexual abuse and other major protection concerns relating to children, women and girls in the north-east region. More than six months later I have seen little indication that the situation has improved. Measures can and must be taken immediately to protect vulnerable women and girls. These include ensuring that women have key roles in food distribution and camp management, improving human rights and humanitarian training of security forces and civilian authorities.

In such displacement environments where male family members are now largely absent, the social fabric of society that normally protects women from abuse has broken down almost completely leaving women and girls highly vulnerable. A culture of impunity for sexual abuse must come to an end and perpetrators must be brought to justice. I was informed that perpetrators allegedly include some members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) that has been given a role in camp management and administration. Such violations are particularly prevalent in IDP camps in newly liberated areas where access by humanitarian actors remains extremely difficult due to continuing security concerns.

Camps must quickly come under trained civilian management to prevent abuse. It is important that community-based protection and camp management systems are put in place. There must be a transition from military to civilian administration of IDP camps as soon as possible, while security forces should provide guarantees of security in areas that remain at risk from Boko Haram or other security threats. While in some cases the CJTF members exercise significant authority and provide a variety of functions in IDP camps, I am concerned about the nature, status and training of some of those individuals. Some described elements of the CJTF as ‘militias’ or ‘paramilitaries’ with affiliation to the military structures but lacking the discipline and training of regular security forces. As such they do not constitute a truly civilian administration and I urge that measures be put in place to ensure appropriate civilian authority is put in place. Any abuses must be reported and perpetrators punished according to the law.

A disturbing demographic picture was revealed to me by my visits to IDP camps and through my consultations with national authorities and humanitarian actors. There is an obvious absence of men, particularly young men, in the IDP camps and many are reported to have disappeared. A number of factors may account for such an absence of men – all of them concerning. While reports suggest that some may have been recruited by or forced to join Boko Haram, unverified allegations indicate that many may have been killed by the militants. There is a need for urgent investigation of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity. What is clear is that answers must be found not only to the question of over 200 missing Chibok girls, but to the whereabouts of thousands of young men in north-east Nigeria. A project should be begun, including through outreach within IDP populations, to record all cases of missing persons in order to open cases with a view to identifying the whereabouts of family members.

In some areas young men are taken in custody suspected of association with Boko Haram, resulting in disruption of family unity. I was informed of the arrest and detention, sometimes for exceptionally long periods, of suspected Boko Haram members including from in or around IDP camps, as well as limitations of the freedom of movement of IDPs and civilians due to such suspicions and security concerns. Those leaving newly liberated areas are screened by security forces. Despite the fact that the vast majority of IDPs are innocent civilians, a perception is emerging that IDPs pose a potential security threat. Some men may have fled in fear for their lives either to other regions of Nigeria or across international borders due to the real threat posed to them by Boko Haram or their fear of detention by the security forces. Any detention must be justified and according to the law. Equally freedom of movement out of IDP camps should not be unduly restricted. It must be recalled the IDP camps are not detention centres and the right to freedom of movement of IDPs must be respected to the full extent possible, with proportionate security measures.

I consulted senior military commanders in charge of the military operations in the region. They informed me that legitimate security concerns lead them to continue a process of screening and information gathering within and around IDP camps and locations with the ultimate objective of protecting civilian communities, including IDPs. They acknowledged the detention of some individuals on security grounds but emphasised the compliance of the security forces with international humanitarian law and international human rights law. I was pleased to learn that the military has human rights advisors within its ranks and conducts human rights trainings. Nevertheless, I urge all security services to intensify their efforts to ensure compliance in all respects with both domestic and international law and standards throughout the services and across all ranks and grades. I also encourage the security forces to benefit from good practices in relation to the treatment of IDPs including training of military personnel and the deployment of female personnel where appropriate to engage the largely female IDP population.

Less than 10 per cent of internally displaced persons are in formal or informal camp settings with the vast majority living with and sharing the resources of host communities. The majority of those outside camps are receiving little if any humanitarian assistance and their situation must be better understood and addressed as well as the needs and problems of host communities supporting them. This will require data, resources and expertise that are currently absent and must be quickly put in place. Those outside of camps must not be left to fend for themselves as is currently the case for many including in Maiduguri. They must be identified, documented, and provided with relevant information and assistance to the fullest extent possible. The burden on host communities and dwindling resources of IDPs may result in many being forced to move once more to IDP camps or informal settlements. I call on the Government and its humanitarian partners to develop an out of camp strategy to cater for the needs of these internally displaced persons.

Humanitarian responses

The efforts of the Government of Nigeria and its regional State counterparts must be acknowledged. Numerous Government institutions have vital roles in addressing the needs and protection of IDPs and are responding to the extent of their limited resources and capacity. Key among these are the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and its State counterpart the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in Borno which have been at the forefront of the crisis response and have played a vital role to-date including in the delivery of food and non-food items. In addition, bodies including the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, the National Human Rights Commission and the Presidential Initiative for the Northeast, among others have made important contributions to responses alongside and in collaboration with their national and international partners. The military also continues to play a role in the delivery of humanitarian assistance and service delivery. Numerous stakeholders whom I consulted stated that the role and capacity of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs should be greatly enhanced.

Nevertheless, efforts by national and State governments to address the needs of IDPs have come late and been inconsistent at best and must be urgently strengthened. Essential elements of a truly effective national response are absent, notably a legislative and policy framework on internal displacement, consistent with international standards including the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention), that are urgently required to help guide and inform responses in the short, medium and long-terms. It was frequently stated to me that Nigeria lacks experience in dealing with a humanitarian and displacement crisis on the current scale. Indeed it was slow to respond and to call for assistance from the international community. It is essential that the Government now step-up its response and that the international community equally dedicates urgent additional resources and attention to this evolving crisis. The time to act is now. There is no doubt that this is a neglected crisis which demands much greater attention and that Nigeria lacks the capacity and resources to tackle it alone.

The situation of over 2.5 million IDPs displays all the hallmarks of the highest category crises. Indeed in recent days some UN agencies, including UNHCR have internally categorized the crisis in north-east Nigeria as the highest possible L3 level crisis, which entails a higher level of funding and resources be directed towards the situation. This is an important acknowledgment of the gravity of the situation and many are urging a general L3 designation to be applied. Having consulted widely and witnessed some of the challenges facing the Government and the humanitarian community, I endorse that call for the situation in the north-east to be given the highest criticality rating. Despite military successes, the humanitarian situation is likely to worsen before it improves. Predictions of severe flooding have also been made in coming months and may affect the north-east region and conflict and displacement affected areas, adding a disaster element to the existing humanitarian crisis. In this respect it is prudent to issue an early warning to the international community.

The challenges facing the Government and the humanitarian community are many and they include a highly dangerous security environment in which to operate in which road travel is frequently unsafe and they are at considerable risk of attack. The dangers that they face were made evident to me by United Nations staff members who vividly described a coordinated and targeted ambush attempt on their convoy by Boko Haram in July despite having a military escort, which they were extremely lucky to survive. Humanitarian actors and the United Nations are now clearly a target for Boko Haram and they must be given all possible protection as they fearlessly carry out their functions.

Progress towards achieving durable solutions

While military operations have liberated a number of areas in north-eastern Nigeria from Boko Haram control, conditions in many areas are still precarious and not yet conducive for the return of IDPs and refugees, due to continuing insecurity, the destruction of infrastructure and homes, and the absence of basic services which pose acute humanitarian and protection risks for the affected populations. While some IDPs have returned back to their areas of origin particularly in Adamawa State, many areas of return are either unsafe or lack essential services and return must only take place voluntarily and in conditions of security, dignity and with appropriate support in place.

Little or no attention has been given to ensuring durable solutions for IDPs in the region. While saving lives must remain the highest priority at the present time, I urge the government and the international community to ensure that they do not neglect the need to integrate durable solutions and transitional steps towards them at the earliest phase. I was informed that the Early Recovery Sector has zero per cent funding currently in place from the international community which is indicative of the neglect of this important sector and hampers efforts to begin to build resilience, re-establish livelihoods and initiate recovery programmes.

One of Boko Haram’s characteristic tactics is the complete destruction of areas and villages that they occupied, as has been seen in numerous locations including the town of Bama. Even where return becomes possible, many people do not have a home to go back to. Massive investment in rebuilding infrastructure and homes will be required by development actors before the conditions are in place for IDPs to return to their homes. In some locations return is hampered by unexploded ordnance and booby-traps intended to kill or maim. Indeed, for some, alternative durable solution options of local integration or resettlement elsewhere with the necessary support in place, may be the most viable and preferred options. In this respect the views and wishes of IDPs must be fully taken into account and respected including their right to choose durable solutions that are appropriate for them. It is essential that development partners be engaged at the earliest phase to integrate development approaches into the humanitarian phase as soon as possible.

The root-causes of the conflict and displacement crisis in the northeast of Nigeria are more complex than they may at first appear. They include economic neglect and social inequality and high levels of poverty and deprivation in the region which have been factors that have given rise to radicalization and insurgency. Combatting the underlying structural issues that have created the situation will be essential to future stability and to preventing such a situation occurring again once Boko Haram has been defeated. Development of the northeast region and durable solutions for IDPs will be critical to this objective and should begin at the earliest possible opportunity.

The government and its humanitarian partners such as UNHCR has started developing a tripartite arrangement to facilitate the return of Nigerian refugees. The Regional Dialogue on Protection held in June 2016 resulted in actionable recommendations. I call on all parties involved to expedite the process of implementation.

General recommendations

Existing laws are not sufficient to address the emergency situation and challenges facing IDPs in the north-east of the country. Essential elements of a truly effective national response are absent, notably a legislative and policy framework on internal displacement, consistent with international standards including the 1998 Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, that are urgently required to help guide and inform responses in the short, medium and long-terms. The Government of Nigeria was an active participant in helping to shape the 2009 Kampala Convention and ratified the Convention in 2012. Among the requirements on States parties to the Convention is to domesticate its provisions into national law. A draft Bill to domesticate the Kampala Convention is before the Parliament but yet to be passed into law. Equally, a draft policy on IDPs has been in development for over 10 years and should now be adopted without further delay.

Such a legal and policy framework to address internal displacement, in full conformity with international standards and the Kampala Convention, would establish the rights of IDPs and the obligations of national authorities in domestic law, create much needed clarity regarding roles and responsibilities of different bodies and agencies and ensure coordination across them, as well as establishing and guaranteeing budgets for humanitarian and development initiatives. I cannot stress strongly enough the need for such a legal and policy framework to be adopted.

In view of the extent of the crisis, the Federal Government should give due consideration to strengthening its institutional framework for addressing internal displacement, including by considering the establishment of a Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs or similar high-level dedicated institution with a mandate to comprehensively address the situation of internally displaced persons and other humanitarian needs. Greater coordination and clarity regarding roles is required across Government institutions and in regard to their partnerships with both national and international partners.

Accurate data collection is vital and must be quickly improved. While ongoing Displacement Tracking Matrix, Vulnerability Screening and protection assessments are commendable, the need for accurate and comprehensive disaggregated data remains acute. Without a consistent and reliable system of data collection on IDPs, data varies from source to source. There is an urgent need to conduct detailed profiling and needs assessments of the most vulnerable in the IDP population both within and outside camps, in order to identify the protection needs of those including unaccompanied children, older persons, survivors of violence and abduction and persons with disabilities. Some positive steps have been taken in regard to data gathering and analysis, however much more is required, particularly in newly liberated areas where the needs are greatest. The Geneva based Joint Inter-Agency Profoling Service (JIPs) could provide expertise in this regard.

The international community has a vital role to play in addressing and resolving the humanitarian crisis in north-east Nigeria. While Nigeria is considered to be a middle income country due to its oil and gas revenues, it is currently undergoing a period of intense economic challenges due to the fall in price of oil. Nevertheless, the extent of the crisis requires it to do better in terms of providing adequate national financial resources to meet the massive needs in the north-east region. As I have recommended in other country situations, a positive step would be for the Government to guarantee a percentage of national oil revenues for use in addressing the humanitarian crises, essential reconstruction and development, and supporting IDPs until durable solutions are found.

At this critical time I also call upon the international and donor community to provide massive additional support to Nigeria as it confronts an insurgency and a humanitarian and displacement crisis which has regional and potentially global implications and consequences. The humanitarian response is currently only funded to some 36 per cent of 2016 estimated needs. The United Nations and other humanitarian and development partners are hampered in their essential efforts by the significant shortfall in funding across key sectors. Scaling up the response is essential to save lives in the short term, however they must also be provided for the longer term challenges of securing durable solutions beyond the emergency phase.

Although the short duration of my visit permitted me to consider in detail only internal displacement in the north-east of Nigeria and to travel to that region, I am very well aware of other displacement situations in Nigeria that require ongoing and renewed attention. These include displacement as a result of communal tensions and violence, clashes between traditional pastoralist communities and settled farmers, and displacement as a result of environmental degradation due to the oil and gas industry in the Niger Delta region. These issues have displaced hundreds of thousands of people in different regions of the country, sometimes for periods of years. I urge the government to continue working to resolve all situations of internal displacement and maintain support for internally displaced persons until durable solutions are achieved for them.

I take this opportunity to thank the Government of Nigeria for its invitation to visit and its cooperation with my mandate which I hope constitutes the beginning of a constructive and fruitful engagement ahead. I also thank the representatives of the Borno State Government. I also express my gratitude to the United Nations Country Team and in particular the UN High Commission for Refugees and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for their support in ensuring the success of my visit. I also thank all other institutions and individuals whom I met and who provided valuable information to me.

(1). The experts: Ms. Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, UN Special Rapporteur on sale of children, child pornography and child prostitution; Ms. Urmila Bhoola, UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery; and Dainius Pūras, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to the highest attainable standard of health – visited Nigeri in January 2016. Check the Special Rapporteurs’ full end-of-mission statement: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=16983&LangID=E

Summary

The present report, submitted pursuant to General Assembly resolution 70/292, reviews progress made in the implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa (A/65/152-S/2010/526).

The present report covers the period from July 2015 to June 2016 and highlights major developments regarding peace and security and its interaction with socioeconomic development in Africa. It examines the progress made by the United Nations system in implementing key priority areas identified in the review report, as well as the support the Organization has been providing in the implementation of the peace and security priorities contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 of the African Union and its first 10-year implementation plan (2014-2023).

Consistent with the mandate of General Assembly resolution 70/292 to develop policy proposals on persistent and emerging challenges confronting Africa, the present report addresses the issue of women’s human rights as the basis for sustainable peace and security in Africa. That thematic focus aligns with the African Union’s declared theme for 2016, the “African Year of Human Rights with Particular Focus on the Rights of Women”. The report also presents concrete recommendations to, inter alia, uphold and enhance the rights and roles of women as key drivers and partners in the quest to achieve, in particular, the Agenda 2063 goal of “silencing the guns by 2020” to end all wars in Africa by 2020, as well as Goal 5, on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and Goal 16, on peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice and effective and accountable institutions, of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

I. Introduction

1. Following a request from the Security Council (S/PRST/1997/46), my predecessor undertook, in 1998, a comprehensive analysis of the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa. The subsequent report proposed specific measures to significantly reduce conflict, build peace and promote inclusive development in Africa (see A/52/871-S/1998/318).

2. In its resolution 63/304, the General Assembly requested me to submit a report reviewing the status of implementation of the recommendations contained in the 1998 report. Following broad-based consultations, including with the United Nations system through the Interdepartmental Task Force on African Affairs, coordinated by the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, I issued a review report outlining progress, recommendations and proposals for a renewed engagement with Africa (see A/65/152-S/2010/526).

3. Pursuant to additional requests of the General Assembly, in its successive resolutions on the subject, I continue to submit annually a progress report on the causes of conflict and the promotion of durable peace and sustainable development in Africa, focusing, inter alia, on persistent and emerging challenges and innovative solutions and measures for their redress. In that context and in support of the decision of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union to declare 2016 the “African Year of Human Rights with Particular Focus on the Rights of Women”, the present report focuses on the important role of women’s human rights in advancing sustainable peace and security in Africa.

4. The report highlights the complementarities and synergies between the gender equality and women’s empowerment aspirations and goals contained in Agenda 2063 and its first 10-year implementation plan, and those of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It underscores the importance of ensuring the full rights of African women and girls in peace and security, including in the implementation of the outcomes of the 2015 reviews of United Nations peace operations and the United Nations peacebuilding architecture and the Global Study and High-level review of the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, as well as the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit.

Résumé

Le présent rapport est soumis en application de la résolution 70/292 de l’Assemblée générale et fait le point sur les progrès réalisés dans la mise en oeuvre des recommandations figurant dans le rapport du Secrétaire général sur les causes des conflits et la promotion d’une paix et d’un développement durables en Afrique (A/65/152-S/2010/526).

En application du mandat énoncé dans la résolution 70/292 de l’Assemblée générale, qui prévoit l’élaboration de propositions de politiques sur les obstacles persistants et défis naissants auxquels l’Afrique doit faire face, le présent rapport se penche sur la question des droits fondamentaux des femmes en tant que fondement d’une paix et d’une sécurité durables en Afrique. La mise en exergue de cette problématique concorde avec les projets de l’Union africaine, qui a déclaré 2016 « Année africaine des droits de l’homme, en particulier des droits des femmes ». Le rapport formule également des recommandations concrètes pour, entre autres, défendre et renforcer les droits et rôles des femmes en tant que principaux moteurs et partenaires dans la réalisation, notamment, de l’objectif de l’Agenda 2063 consistant à faire taire les armes d’ici 2020 pour mettre fin à toutes les guerres en Afrique d’ici là, mais aussi de l’objectif 5 du Programme de développement durable à l’horizon 2030 sur l’égalité des sexes et l’autonomisation des femmes et des filles, et de l’objectif 16 sur l’avènement de sociétés pacifiques et ouvertes à tous, l’accès à la justice et la mise en place d’institutions efficaces et responsables.

I. Introduction

1. En 1998, à la demande du Conseil de sécurité (S/PRST/1997/46), mon prédécesseur avait procédé à une analyse approfondie portant sur les causes des conflits et la promotion d’une paix et d’un développement durables en Afrique. Un rapport rédigé à ce sujet évoquait un ensemble de mesures visant à désamorcer les conflits, instaurer la paix et promouvoir un développement inclusif en Afrique (voir A/52/871-S/1998/318).

2. Dans sa résolution 63/304, l’Assemblée générale m’a prié de lui soumettre un rapport faisant le point sur l’application des recommandations formulées dans le rapport de 1998. Au terme de consultations ouvertes, notamment avec le système des Nations Unies par l’intermédiaire de l’Équipe spéciale interdépartementale chargée des questions relatives à l’Afrique, coordonnées par le Bureau du Conseiller spécial pour l’Afrique, j’ai publié un rapport d’examen décrivant les progrès accomplis et présentant des recommandations et des propositions en faveur d’un engagement renouvelé des Nations Unies en Afrique (voir A/65/152-S/2010/526).

3. En réponse aux autres demandes que l’Assemblée générale m’adresse dans ses résolutions successives sur les causes des conflits et la promotion d’une paix et d’un développement durables en Afrique, je lui présente tous les ans un rapport d’activité dans lequel je mets notamment l’accent sur les problèmes persistants et défis naissants auxquels le continent fait face et les solutions et mesures novatrices qui pourraient être adoptées pour s’y attaquer. Dans ce contexte, et à l’appui de la décision de la Conférence des chefs d’État et de gouvernement de l’Union africaine de proclamer 2016 « Année africaine des droits de l’homme, en particulier des droits des femmes », le présent rapport met l’accent sur le rôle important des droits fondamentaux des femmes dans la promotion d’une paix et d’une sécurité durables en Afrique.

4. Le rapport met en lumière les complémentarités et synergies entre les objectifs et aspirations à l’égalité des sexes et à l’autonomisation des femmes énoncés dans l’Agenda 2063 et son premier Plan décennal de mise en oeuvre d’une part, et ceux du Programme de développement durable à l’horizon 2030 d’autre part. Il souligne qu’il importe de garantir pleinement les droits des femmes et des filles africaines en matière de paix et de sécurité, notamment dans la mise en oeuvre des conclusions des examens des opérations de paix des Nations Unies en 2015, du dispositif de consolidation de la paix des Nations Unies, de l’étude mondiale et l’examen de haut niveau sur l’application de la résolution 1325 (2000) du Conseil de sécurité concernant les femmes, la paix et la sécurité, et du Sommet mondial sur l’action humanitaire de 2016.

By Alexandre Brecher

When Francois Sakotai offered shelter to three young displaced girls, he didn’t know his generosity would spark a miracle: the reunification of a mother and her children.

DZAWANDAI, Cameroon, 25 August 2016 – When asked about his age, Francois Sakotai smiles. “I don’t know, he said, maybe 70, 80? The only thing I can say, is that I am old. I am old and I was lonely, until Elisabeth, Delphine and Waibai came to my home.”

Let’s go back to the spring of 2015. The Far North region is regularly hit by violent attacks by Boko Haram. “But they never made it here to Dzawandai,” Francois explains. “Some neighbouring villages were not as lucky.” Francois recalls pointing towards the winding road. “Two out of four villages along the road were attacked, burned and people were killed.”

At least 2.6 million people are uprooted due to the conflict, including 1.4 million children.

Read the report: Children on the move, children left behind: Uprooted or trapped by Boko Haram

Where are my children?

Boko Haram also stormed the village of Shogulè, where Rosalie Tawasa lived with her husband and their five children. Rosalie was in the market shopping with her newborn tied to her back when her village was attacked.

“I heard a loud explosion in the village, then the sound of gunfire,” she recalls. Her husband was out working in the fields while her three daughters and oldest son were home alone. “I rushed home to get my kids but when I arrived the house was empty – they were gone.”

Rosalie desperately looked for her children but they were nowhere to be found. “My whole body was shaking. I walked down every road, on every path, asking every child I met: have you seen my children? Where did they go?”

Protecting my sisters

“We heard the gunshots but I didn’t understand what was going on. I’d heard about Boko Haram but I didn’t know it was them,” Elisabeth says. She is ten years old and Rosalie’s oldest daughter. The three sisters hid on the floor in the house, their brother Alexis who was playing in the neighbourhood was nowhere to be found.

Outside their house people were fleeing and the sisters decided to follow suit into the woods. “For the next few days, the forest became our home,” Elisabeth recalls. “The hardest part was that we didn’t know where our parents were – I had to protect my sisters, and myself.”

The first miracle

Three young girls, tired and terrified, stood in front of Francois’s farmhouse. “They were famished. I gave them water, food, and asked where their parents were. They told me what happened and I offered for them to stay with me until they found their parents.”

While the three sisters were safe with Francois, Rosalie kept searching for her children. She can’t remember if it was days or weeks, but she kept searching. One day her search took her to Dzawandai. She asked the village chief if he knew any displaced children, and he immediately took her to Francois’s house.

“I started screaming ‘Mummy! Mummy!’ as soon as I saw her,” Elisabeth says, wearing a face splitting grin. The three sisters were finally reunited with their mother Rosalie. However, there was still one piece of Rosalie’s heart missing - her son Alexis.

Weeks turned to months and Rosalie never stopped worrying about Alexis. A year later, when visiting a market in a neighbouring town Mokolo, she spotted a boy who looked like her son. The boy spotted her too and immediately ran towards her and jumped into her arms. Alexis had spent the last year with a family that had taken him in.

Taking time to recover

Many displaced people have found shelter in the Far North Region of Cameroon. UNICEF and its partners work in 31 villages in the area, as well as the Minawao refugee camp, to create a protective environment for children who have been affected by the conflict and to address risks in terms of protection and violation of their rights.

Although Rosalie and her children are now reunited, it will take some time to recover. With support from UNICEF and a local association ALDEPA, Elisabeth, Delphine, Waibai and Alexis can participate in recreational and learning activities alongside other refugee and displaced children.

Two hundred animators from ALDEPA are deployed in the Far North Region to play with the children, run educational activities and visit their families. These interventions aim at giving children a sense of normality while helping them recover from the violence they witnessed and preparing them for school.

UNICEF is also working with other key protection actors (the Government, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, International Committee of the Red Cross and Cameroon Red Cross) to focus on identification, documentation and tracing of unaccompanied and separated boys and girls. These efforts will support family reunification and reintegration of unaccompanied children within their families.

My home is their home

“It was natural for me to offer shelter to the children and now also to Rosalie and her son,” says Francois. “For me, a human being is a human being. If one day they decide to leave, it will be their choice, but if they decide to stay, my home will be theirs after I die. They are my family now.”

Their new life on the farm will pass with harvest and dry seasons. It is a new start. For Rosalie, however, she is left wondering if her husband will ever return.

“I haven’t given up hope,” she says. “God helped me find my children, maybe one day he’ll help me find my husband.”

Will another miracle happen in Dzawandai?

Situation de Stress suite à la soudure précoce dans le nord et le centre du pays

Messages clés

•L’insécurité alimentaire Minimale (Phase 1 de l’IPC) se maintient pour la majorité des ménages du pays grâce à un bon approvisionnement des marchés qui favorisent un accès aux marchés. Toutefois, les ménages pauvres du centre et du nord-est en plus des victimes pauvres des inondations en cours ont des difficultés à satisfaire leurs besoins alimentaires à cause du recours à des stratégies d’adaptation atypiques. Ils sont par conséquent en insécurité alimentaire aiguë de Stress (Phase 2 de l’IPC) d’août à septembre.

•Les inondations atypiques suite aux grandes pluies de fin juillet à début à début août ont engendré des dégâts matériels importants sur les biens et des pertes en vie humaine dans les régions de Kafrine, Dakar, Saint Louis, Matam. Des ménages affectés dans ces régions sont en insécurité alimentaire de Stress (Phase 2 de l’IPC) d’août à septembre.

•L’évolution des cultures en dépit d’un retard de démarrage plus ou moins important est jugée moyenne dans l’ensemble. Les appuis en intrants agricoles du gouvernement et des partenaires permettent d’espérer sur des récoltes moyennes dans le pays en octobre 2016. La majorité des ménages seront dans l’insécurité alimentaire Minimale (Phase 1 de l’IPC) en octobre après les récoltes.

•Le retard dans l’installation des pluies dans le bassin arachidier et le nord du pays risque d’affecter les niveaux de réalisation pour les céréales et les légumineuses (arachide, niébé) dans le pays. Les productions attendues pourraient être affectées négativement en dépit des énormes efforts du Gouvernement pour rehausser la production agricole du pays.

The deadly fighting in South Sudan has created enormous challenges for neighbouring Uganda. From food shortage to water-borne diseases, the humanitarian needs are greater than ever before.

“We ran for our lives to avoid being killed. I spent all the money I had to bring my children to safety in Uganda,” says Agnes Drabua (35). She is one among thousands of refugees who crossed the border into neighbouring Uganda last month.

According to the latest figures from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), over 85,000 South Sudanese refugees have crossed into Uganda since the recent fighting erupted on 7 July. That is more than twice the number of people who came during the year’s first six months. Reception centres can no longer cope with the extraordinary influx of refugees. Humanitarian organisations and the authorities are doing everything they can to meet the needs, but they lack resources.

“The large number of refugees has put enormous pressure on our resources. We do everything we can to assist, so that the aid reaches those in need, but it is extremely challenging. We do not have enough staff and the economic resources are too scarce to cover all the needs,” says Emmanuel Adowa who works at the NRC office in Adjumani.

Reducing food rations

The open square by the Nyumanzi reception centre is crowded. The reception centre, which is designed to accommodate around 2,000 refugees, is today home to more than 13,000 South Sudanese refugees.

“The centre is overflowing and we can no longer provide enough food to people residing here. In August, we have been forced to reduce food distributions by half to those who are already residents, in order to be able to help the new arrivals,” says Albert Alumbi, settlement coordinator at the government office in Nyumanzi.

We are peaceful people. I only want peace and a safe future for my children.

Agnes Drabua, South Sudanese refugee

Cholera outbreak

About 90 percent of all South Sudanese refugees in Uganda are women and children. Agnes Drabua (35) sits together with her five children in the newly opened settlement Pagirinya. As the majority of women here, she came alone with her children across the border.

“We are peaceful people. I only want peace and a safe future for my children,” says Drabua.

The Pagrinya settlement is only a few weeks old, but already home to over 27,000 people. A cholera outbreak few days ago has put even greater pressure on resources in the area.

“At first, we identified two patients with cholera. Now, the figures have risen to 37 people and the cholera team in the area is working hard to stop it from spreading,” said Ahmed Rasul, health worker at the clinic in Pagrinya.

“We have been forced to establish strict procedures for hygiene. The big challenge is that the settlement is full. We are deploying people from here to the newest settlement in Yumbe, says Vincent Amaroma, settlement assistant at the government office in Pagrinya.

The big challenge is that the settlement is full.

Vincent Amaroma, settlement assistant

Food crisis

South Sudan is today one of the world's largest humanitarian crises. According to UNHCR, close to a million refugees have crossed the border into neighbouring Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya. Inside the country, more than 1.6 million people are displaced. The refugees coming across the border tell of brutal killings, rebels burning down houses, and military stealing peoples’ money. At the border in Elegu, the last days have been less hectic, but the steady stream of refugees continues to pass. Although the conflicts in South Sudan have subsided since the battles broke out in early July, the situation is still tense.

“Yesterday, several police officers came across the border with their families. This says something about the security situation in the country. Now that the fighting has calmed down, one of the main reasons why people flee is food shortage. We still have room for more, but it will not last for long,” says Frida Kajoki, registration officer at Elegu.

Born a refugee

Alice Drama (24) is sitting on the tent floor with her two-week-old baby. Her son is one of many children born a refugee. The new-born is breathing heavily. Inside the tent the heat is blazing. Drama was heavily pregnant when she escaped and crossed the border, after her husband left her for another wife. Now she dreams of a peaceful life and a secure future for her son.

“I'm so tired of the war. I cannot stand to be afraid anymore. Now, I think about my boy's future. I hope he will be fine,” says Drama.

While the number of refugees in South Sudan’s neighbouring country Uganda is increasing, the war continues to ravage the world's youngest country.

Facts

• Over 85,000 South Sudanese have fled to Uganda since July 2016, according to UNHCR.
• Over 85 per cent of the new arrivals are women and children.
• As of the end of July, Uganda hosted over 550,000 refugees. This included 315,000 refugees and asylum seekers from South Sudan, and over 200,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• South Sudan ranks among the countries with the highest levels of conflict-induced population displacement globally. Over 1.6 million people are displaced inside the country, and more than 900,000 have fled to neighbouring countries since December 2013.
• 6 million people - more than half South Sudan´s population - need humanitarian assistance.
• Over 4.8 million people in South Sudan will face severe food shortages over the coming months, and the risk of a hunger catastrophe continues to threaten parts of the country.

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – Zarah Bunu was just a teenager when she was forced to flee her home in north-eastern Nigeria two years ago. The steady drumbeat of fear and violence caused by the Boko Haram insurgency pushed her and millions of others into displacement. Her circumstances grew even more worrying a year ago, when she learned she was pregnant.

“I did not know what to expect,” said Ms. Bunu, now 20.

Displaced populations are living in crowded camps and resource-strained host communities. Health facilities were among the locations targeted by Boko Haram, causing health workers to flee, which left thousands with precarious or non-existent access to care.

But Ms. Bunu was fortunate. She was able to visit a UNFPA-supported health centre in the rural community of Kukareta.

“Every few months, I went to the health facility in the community to make sure I was okay,” she said.

On 7 June, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. She named him Modu Bulama.

It was one of over 60,000 UNFPA-assisted safe deliveries.

Gravest security threat
Boko Haram poses one of the gravest security threats in Western Africa. Their attacks have predominantly affected north-eastern Nigeria, but the violence has also spilled over to into neighbouring regions and countries – including Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

The insurgency has killed an estimated 20,000 civilians, according to media reports.

Thousands have been abducted and subjected to forced labour, forced combat, forced marriage and sexual slavery.

The crisis has affected over 14.5 million people, some 2 million of whom have been displaced from their homes.

Amid this chaos, UNFPA is working with partners to provide sexual and reproductive health care, counselling and other critical services to those affected.

Reproductive health care, even in chaos
The clinic Ms. Bunu attended is one of 200 UNFPA-supported health facilities in Nigeria’s North-East.

UNFPA provides these clinics with comprehensive reproductive health kits, which contain supplies for family planning, prenatal care, safe delivery services and post-partum check-ups. They also enable the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, and include medications that can prevent the transmission of HIV and assist in the clinical management of rape.

It is part of a UNFPA plan to restore access to reproductive health services to about 4.5 million people affected by the crisis.

“For many of us, access to reproductive health services is not a challenge. But for a survivor of insurgency in an IDP [internally displaced person] camp, these needs are not easily met,” said Ratidzai Ndhlovu, UNFPA’s Representative in Nigeria.

A safe space to heal, grow
UNFPA also provides counselling and psychosocial support so affected communities can begin the process of healing.

“I remember hearing gunshots so I ran to save my life and that of my six children, but I was not fast enough,” Zainab* told UNFPA last year, after she was abducted in May. She was pregnant at the time of the attack.

She was taken to Sambisa Forest, where she was starved and mistreated. Soon after, she lost her pregnancy.

Hafsat*, an adolescent girl, was forced to marry a member of the armed group. She was sexually abused a number of times before being abandoned.

Hafsat and Zainab have both received counselling and care from UNFPA-supported psychosocial services. The counselling sessions are conducted in safe spaces where women and girls can gather in privacy.

The safe spaces also offer lessons in vocational skills, part of an economic empowerment scheme that enables women and girls to support themselves. About 108,000 survivors of violence have benefited from this support.

Some 3.2 million people have so far been reached by UNFPA’s efforts, but much more remains to be done. There are an estimated 800,000 people in areas newly recaptured by the armed group who are in need of life-saving humanitarian support.

– Ololade Daniel

*Names changed to protect privacy

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 has displaced refugees to Cameroon, and caused 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.

GENEVA (29 August 2016) – The United Nations expert on internally displaced persons (IDPs), Chaloka Beyani, has called on the Nigerian Government and the international community to take urgent humanitarian measures to save lives and ensure the protection of hundreds of thousands of IDPs in the north-east of the country. Speaking after a four-day visit to Nigeria, Mr Beyani described the situation resulting from the Boko Haram terror campaign and Government counter-insurgency measures as “displaying all the hallmarks of the highest category crises.”

“We are only starting to get a grip of the gravity and extent of the crisis, as civilians, including children, leave newly liberated areas. They bear the signs of advanced malnutrition, and of deep trauma, having been caught in a conflict that has cost them their homes, their livelihoods and often their family members,” said Mr. Beyani. The expert noted that the fighting has created more than 2.5 million IDPs in the region.

“The situation must no longer be downplayed and it is not too late to save many lives. But to do this, the Government must act urgently to ensure that food, shelter, medical care, water, sanitation and other essential services reach IDPs without delay. Due to a gross underestimation of the crisis, the existing supplies will only cover needs for a very short period of time and will be soon outstripped by demands in the weeks or months ahead,” he said.

According to the UN expert, “the vast majority of IDPs live outside camps and receive little or no assistance. Urgent steps are required to identify those people and assess their needs, particularly those of the most vulnerable, as well as the needs of host communities who are supporting them with their own resources.”

The Special Rapporteur, who visited IDP camps in the Maiduguri area, highlighted that many people within camps in newly liberated areas may be faring little better. “Food is scarce and many survive on one basic meal per day while medical care is insufficient. Civilians also require urgent protection, psychosocial support and counseling,” said Mr. Beyani.

“Humanitarian agencies have little access to some areas due to security concerns and have been targeted by Boko Haram, whose terror activities have been contained by the Nigerian military but still pose a significant threat and danger,” he stated.

“Camps should offer protection. Yet I am alarmed to learn that many are in fact the settings for exploitation and abuse of the most vulnerable. Reports indicate that women and girls face demands for sex to access food or to leave the camps. Early pregnancy and marriage are commonplace while many do not report abuse due to stigmatization, cultural factors and the knowledge that perpetrators can abuse with impunity. Protection measures must be stepped-up and camps must quickly come under trained civilian management to prevent abuses,” he said.

The Special Rapporteur acknowledged several positive measures taken by the Government such as a plan for rehabilitating the north-east and the establishment of oversight systems by the Parliament.
However, he expressed concern about the lack of international attention and resources to meet the immense needs in the region. He called on donors to provide generous support to meet immediate needs and to enhance their long-term support, to ensure the return, reconstruction and durable solutions for IDPs as well as stability and social cohesion in the region.

The Special Rapporteur thanked the Nigerian Federal Government and the Borno State Government for their cooperation with his mandate. He will produce a full report and recommendations to be presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2017.

ENDS

Check the Special Rapporteur’s full end-of-mission statement

Mr. Chaloka Beyani is a Professor of International Law at the London School of Economics and was appointed Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons by the Human Rights Council in September 2010. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms. Special Procedures mandate-holders are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work.

UN Human Rights, country page - Nigeria: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AfricaRegion/Pages/NGIndex.aspx

Internally displaced persons:http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IDPersons/Pages/IDPersonsIndex.aspx

For more information and media requests, please contact Mr. Graham Fox (+41 22 917 9640 / gfox@ohchr.org) or write to idps@ohchr.org.

IOM Libya presents the first publication of its Flow Monitoring initiative. Libya’s Flow Monitoring statistical and analytical reports build on IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Mobility Tracking Packages towards better articulating Libya’s human mobility profile. Each report presented in this document can be read independently or as part of DTM’s comprehensive Flow Monitoring monthly report.

Flow Monitoring is part of DTM. It captures information on migrants to monitor and understand the trend of movements and population flows in specific locations within a particular time period. DTM Libya’s Flow Monitoring aims to collect and update information on the movement of migrants in Libya, to provide an accurate and timely overview of the migration flows in the country, in particular with regard to:

•Routes used by the migrants who reach and/or transit through Libya

•Identify and monitor the locations where migration flows are most significant

•Provide granulated data on nationalities, sex and age of migrants and specific vulnerabilities

•Develop migration profiles including drivers of migration and migratory trends

The information and analysis provided by DTM Libya complements IOM’s established exercises in the region and in Southern Europe. Considering the scale and complexity of the current migration flows in Libya, the purpose of the DTM is to offer a dynamic approach in relation to the developments of the different routes and the evolving situation in the countries of origin, transit and destination.

This report contains an overview of the findings collected at flow monitoring points in Libya during the period of July – August 2016.

GENEVA (29 August 2016) – The United Nations expert on internally displaced persons (IDPs), Chaloka Beyani, has called on the Nigerian Government and the international community to take urgent humanitarian measures to save lives and ensure the protection of hundreds of thousands of IDPs in the north-east of the country. Speaking after a four-day visit to Nigeria, Mr Beyani described the situation resulting from the Boko Haram terror campaign and Government counter-insurgency measures as “displaying all the hallmarks of the highest category crises.”

“We are only starting to get a grip of the gravity and extent of the crisis, as civilians, including children, leave newly liberated areas. They bear the signs of advanced malnutrition, and of deep trauma, having been caught in a conflict that has cost them their homes, their livelihoods and often their family members,” said Mr. Beyani. The expert noted that the fighting has created more than 2.5 million IDPs in the region.

“The situation must no longer be downplayed and it is not too late to save many lives. But to do this, the Government must act urgently to ensure that food, shelter, medical care, water, sanitation and other essential services reach IDPs without delay. Due to a gross underestimation of the crisis, the existing supplies will only cover needs for a very short period of time and will be soon outstripped by demands in the weeks or months ahead,” he said.

According to the UN expert, “the vast majority of IDPs live outside camps and receive little or no assistance. Urgent steps are required to identify those people and assess their needs, particularly those of the most vulnerable, as well as the needs of host communities who are supporting them with their own resources.”

The Special Rapporteur, who visited IDP camps in the Maiduguri area, highlighted that many people within camps in newly liberated areas may be faring little better. “Food is scarce and many survive on one basic meal per day while medical care is insufficient. Civilians also require urgent protection, psychosocial support and counseling,” said Mr. Beyani.

“Humanitarian agencies have little access to some areas due to security concerns and have been targeted by Boko Haram, whose terror activities have been contained by the Nigerian military but still pose a significant threat and danger,” he stated.

“Camps should offer protection. Yet I am alarmed to learn that many are in fact the settings for exploitation and abuse of the most vulnerable. Reports indicate that women and girls face demands for sex to access food or to leave the camps. Early pregnancy and marriage are commonplace while many do not report abuse due to stigmatization, cultural factors and the knowledge that perpetrators can abuse with impunity. Protection measures must be stepped-up and camps must quickly come under trained civilian management to prevent abuses,” he said.

The Special Rapporteur acknowledged several positive measures taken by the Government such as a plan for rehabilitating the north-east and the establishment of oversight systems by the Parliament.
However, he expressed concern about the lack of international attention and resources to meet the immense needs in the region. He called on donors to provide generous support to meet immediate needs and to enhance their long-term support, to ensure the return, reconstruction and durable solutions for IDPs as well as stability and social cohesion in the region.

The Special Rapporteur thanked the Nigerian Federal Government and the Borno State Government for their cooperation with his mandate. He will produce a full report and recommendations to be presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2017.

ENDS

Check the Special Rapporteur’s full end-of-mission statement

Mr. Chaloka Beyani is a Professor of International Law at the London School of Economics and was appointed Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons by the Human Rights Council in September 2010. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms. Special Procedures mandate-holders are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work.

UN Human Rights, country page - Nigeria: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/AfricaRegion/Pages/NGIndex.aspx

Internally displaced persons:http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IDPersons/Pages/IDPersonsIndex.aspx

For more information and media requests, please contact Mr. Graham Fox (+41 22 917 9640 / gfox@ohchr.org) or write to idps@ohchr.org.

Government officials from across the Lake Chad sub-region call for a co-ordinated regional response following the recent wild polio cases in Nigeria

Following the recent detection of wild poliovirus in Nigeria, Ministers of Health from Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have declared the polio outbreak in Nigeria as a public health emergency for countries of the Lake Chad basin. The declaration, coming out of the 66th session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the African Region, demonstrates commitment from governments across the region to bolster momentum in the fight against the virus.

A regional response to a regional risk

The declaration requests that Nigeria and all countries of the Lake Chad Basin, as a matter of the utmost urgency, fully implement coordinated outbreak responses in order to quickly interrupt this outbreak before the end of 2016 and prevent international spread. It calls on all Member States of countries of the Lake Chad Basin to extend all possible support, including political advocacy and engagement at all levels, for successful coordination and implementation of synchronized polio vaccination activities across the countries of the Lake Chad sub-region. The declaration builds on the sustained commitment of member states across the region in the path towards polio eradication, highlighted at the African Union summit in June 2015 where African heads of state gathered to declare polio eradication a “historical legacy for future generations”.

Immediate action, challenging terrain

An immediate response was mounted by the Nigerian government following the outbreak by quickly declaring it as a public health emergency and mobilizing the needed resources, with a large-scale vaccination campaign implemented and further rounds planned across the Lake Chad sub-region.

While challenging terrain lies ahead in beating the poliovirus for good, in Nigeria, and in Africa – not least because of the grave humanitarian situation in many of the countries around Lake Chad – the declaration of a regional emergency provides an important foundation for action, including the mobilization of necessary financial, political and technical support from partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and governments across the region.

Nigeria - As part of its humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of families displaced by the violence in North East Nigeria, IOM Nigeria and IOM Cameroon in a joint operation distributed 3,000 non-food relief item (NFI) kits to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Nigerian border town of Banki from 23-24 August 2016.

Banki, which shares a border with Cameroon, is located in Bama Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno State, Nigeria. It was once a vibrant border town where trade between Nigeria and Cameroon was the main economic activity.

Head of Office of IOM Cameroon Roger Charles Evina said: “Despite the daunting security and logistical challenges, IOM Cameroon is determined to support IOM Nigeria to reach an affected population that is in dire need of humanitarian assistance.”

The NFIs, which included mosquito nets, sleeping mats, laundry and bathing soaps, jerry cans, sanitary pads and water purification tabs, were funded by ECHO and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in Nigeria. They were procured and distributed by IOM Cameroon, in close cooperation with IOM Nigeria.

IOM Nigeria, also with funding from ECHO and CERF, provided emergency shelters for about 6,800 people in recently liberated Bama and Gwoza LGAs in Borno State.

IOM Nigeria Chief of Mission Enira Krdzalic reiterated the need for continued support to the displaced population. “IOM remains committed to supporting the government of Nigeria in ensuring that the plight of the IDPs is alleviated,” she said.

The successful distribution in Banki was closely coordinated with Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other relevant Nigerian and Cameroonian authorities.

But more aid is needed in Banki, as the IDP population is larger than expected, totalling an estimated 26,000 people, including women, children and the elderly, according to Krdzalic.

“Strong cross-border coordination and cooperation in all Lake Chad Basin countries will remain key for continuing efficient and timely delivery of life-saving assistance to affected populations,” she noted.

IOM has provided assistance to affected populations in the Lake Chad Basin region with the support of ECHO, CERF, WFP and the governments of the United States, Italy, France, Germany and Japan. It is currently appealing for USD 56.6 million to continue to provide emergency and recovery assistance in the four affected countries, including scaling up its operations in Nigeria, where it is appealing for USD 25 million.

For further information, please contact IOM Nigeria. Ikechukwu Hillarion Attah, Tel: +234 8140671127, Email: iattah@iom.int or Enira Krdzalic, Email: ekrdzalic@iom.int. Or Roger Charles Evina at IOM Cameroon, Tel: +237 652 23 46 40, Email: revina@iom.int

DAKAR – As schools resume this autumn, more than 1.3 million children across West and Central Africa risk missing out on school meals from the World Food Programme (WFP), as widening financial constraints force the United Nations agency – the top sponsor of such initiatives – to reduce its reach.

Dwindling resources, shifting donor priorities and changed financing mechanisms in some countries – all have conspired to create a funding gap and jeopardize programmes. Unless vital funding comes through in the next month, more than half a million children across Cameroon, Mali, Mauritania and Niger could start the school year without the meals they have come to rely upon. By the end of 2016, assistance will run out for a further 700,000 children in 11 other countries.

In Chad – where, in some regions, as many as four-fifths of the population do not get enough food for a healthy life – WFP’s school meals programme has shrunk by more than 90 percent in the past three years due to funding shortages, from more than 200,000 children assisted in 2013 to just 15,000 in 2016. In Senegal, current resources will cover school meals for fewer than a fifth of the children targeted by the programme. In Mauritania and Cameroon, funds ran out during the 2015-2016 school year, forcing WFP to halt assistance in January and May respectively. In Guinea, WFP will halve its assistance this school year.

“In most countries in West and Central Africa – in the grip of chronic hunger and malnutrition, and increasingly affected by conflict – school meals have been a lifeline for children, as they are often the only regular and nutritious meals they receive,” said Abdou Dieng, WFP Regional Director for West Africa.

While in some countries the government and other agencies lead or complement WFP’s programme, in most of this region WFP is the sole or main provider of school meals, targeting areas where hunger and malnutrition levels are highest. Year after year, funding constraints have been forcing WFP to shrink its areas of coverage.

During or after conflict in the Central African Republic, Mali and Niger, or in the aftermath of a major health crisis such as the Ebola outbreak, school meals have played an important role in providing children in need with nutritious meals; encouraging families to send their children to school; and, more broadly, helping children regain their childhood.

“Children from the very countries and regions where needs are most acute are missing out on this vital assistance. We urge our supporters not to forget the value the school meals programme brings – a key vehicle to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition – and not let more than a million children slip deeper or back into in poverty and hunger. We urgently need US$48 million to start or continue our school meals assistance,” said Dieng.

WFP’s school meals are a major social safety net. They encourage primary school children, especially girls, to enroll, attend and remain in school. In 2015, WFP provided daily nutritious meals to over 2.5 million children across West and Central Africa: of these, 1.2 million were girls. Across the region, WFP partners with small-scale farmers to buy locally grown, fresh food, thus not only helping students, but boosting agricultural incomes and local economies at the same time.

For every US dollar invested in school meals, there is an overall economic return of US$3 to US$8, studies by WFP show. This is because improving the health of schoolchildren transforms the rest of their lives: it increases their productivity as working adults, and reverberates through the next generation by improving the health of their own children.

Achieving Zero Hunger and learning for all are key elements in the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 2 on ending hunger by 2030.

Key donors to WFP’s school meals programme in West and Central Africa for the 2015-2016 school year are Canada, the European Union, Japan, Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

For more information, please contact (firstname.secondname@wfp.org):
Adel Sarkozi, WFP/Dakar, Mob. +221 776375964
Jane Howard, WFP/Rome, Tel. +39 06 65132321, Mob. +39 346 7600521
Gregory Barrow, WFP/London, Tel. +44 20 72409001, Mob. +44 7968 008474
Bettina Luescher, WFP/Geneva, Tel. +41 22 917 8564, Mob. + 41-79-842-8057
Gerald Bourke, WFP/New York, Tel. +1-646-5566909, Mob. +1-646 525 9982
Steve Taravella, WFP/Washington DC, Tel. +1 202 653 1149, Mob. +1 202 770 5993

The Framework has been put together to engender a more stable, conflict-free region where the envisaged greater atmosphere of peace can help in the realization of the ECOWAS integration goals by pushing conflict prevention and peacebuilding up the political agenda of the governments of the region.

Declaring the two-Day sensitization Workshop open on the 29th of August 2016, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) Mrs. Halima Ahmed enthused that the Abuja convergence would serve as a platform to enhance the synergy between the Commission and respective Ministries from where the participants are drawn.

Noting that since inception in 2008, there has been limited knowledge and ownership of the ECPF by the Member States who signed it into existence, the Commissioner observed that due to the occurrence of many security challenges in the region, there have been limited programmes developed by the Commission to generate awareness about the ECPF in Member States.

Mrs. Ahmed reported that through the support of the Government of Denmark, the Secretariat dedicated to the operationalization of the ECPF has been taking active steps geared towards ensuring ownership and maximum utilization of the ECPF by ECOWAS Focal Point Directorates, Member States, Civil Society and Development Partners while serving as an interface between the ECOWAS Commission and all relevant stakeholders.

The Commissioner further remarked that the security situation in the region has become a concern at the national, regional and international levels since the terrorist attacks in Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Mali just as the increasing incidence of clashes between farmers and herdsmen, rural banditry, electoral violence, ethno-religious violence are matters of urgent concern that requires preventive interventions.

Participants who were mostly drawn from the Ministries of Justice and Internal Affairs of Member States were implored by the Commissioner to consider regional dimensions of peace and security when designing and implementing national programmes.

“Through a partnership with the ECOWAS Commission, we can embolden the governments of the region to prioritize the development of policies which are geared towards preventing conflicts and diffusing tensions, thereby ensuring the peace and stability of our region” She added.

Earlier, the ECOWAS Director of Political Affairs Dr. Remi Ajibewa gave a historical background to the conflict situation in West Africa within the context of global realities stating that the ECPF came about in recognition of the nexus between peace, security and development

According to him, one of the key objectives of the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework is to build awareness and anticipation and strengthen capacity within Member States and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to enhance their roles as principal constituencies and actors in conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

During the Workshop, there were presentations of the ECPF web portal, a synthesis of studies on ECPF by Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), the Kofi Anan International Peace Training Centre (KAIPTC) and the Goree Institute done by Dr. Abiodun Onadipe as well as an overview of peace and security situation in each Member State

The ECOWAS Heads of State and Government adopted the ECPF as a legal document which specifies the roles and responsibilities of the ECOWAS Commission, Member States, Civil Society Organizations and Development Partners in strengthening the human security architecture in West Africa.

Ce rapport a été produit par OCHA en collaboration avec les partenaires humanitaires et concerne les vagues de déplacements internes depuis le 21 juillet 2015. Il est publié par OCHA Tchad et couvre la période du 15 juillet au 23 août 2016. Le prochain rapport sera publié vers le 15 septembre 2016.

Faits saillants

• Plusieurs incidents sécuritaires récents ont affecté l’accès humanitaire dans les zones frontalières, où les opérations militaires se poursuivent.

• La récurrence des fausses alertes pour attirer l’assistance humanitaire souligne la nécessité de renforcer la sensibilisation sur les principes humanitaires.

• Un dépistage de la malnutrition auprès de plus de 800 enfants par l’ONG IRC souligne 16,3% de cas de malnutrition aigüe sévère et 17,6% de cas de malnutrition aigüe modérée.

• Le monitoring de protection sur 14 sites entre Liwa et Daboua, réalisé au début du mois d’août, a permis d’identifier 61 incidents de protection.

80 616 déplacés enregistrés depuis mai 2015

Dont :

• 69 057 déplacés internes
• 11 239 retournés Tchadiens
• 320 ressortissants des pays tiers

Source: Cluster Abris / AME / CCCM - OIM (Matrice de suivi des déplacements du 25/08/2016).

37 876 déplacés* estimés pas encore enregistrés.

Source: Cluster Abris / AME / CCCM - OIM (25/08/2016.).

7 004 réfugiés dont 5 432 dans le camp de Dar-es-Salam depuis janvier 2015.

Source: HCR/CNARR (31/07/2016)

Aperçu de la situation

La situation sécuritaire reste fragile dans la région du Lac, avec plusieurs incidents sécuritaires dans les zones frontalières, où les opérations militaires sont toujours en cours. Selon les autorités de Kaiga, à proximité de la frontière avec le Niger, le 30 juillet, un véhicule de transport public aurait explosé sur une mine entre Kaiga et Boma, causant trois blessés. C’est le troisième incident lié à des mines en 2016, après le 12 mai à Kaiga-Ngouboua et le 1er juin entre Kaiga-Ngouboua et Kaiga-Litri. Par ailleurs, entre le 26 et le 30 juillet, sept civils auraient été tués et huit femmes kidnappées dans la sous-préfecture de Kaiga. Depuis la mi-août, des sources sécuritaires rapportent plusieurs incidents dans la zone de Kaiga Kinjiria. Le 14 août, une attaque au village de Fotio, à côté de Kaiga Kinjiria, aurait causé la mort d’un habitant. Dans la nuit du 16 au 17 août, une attaque aurait eu lieu à Boultoua, à 3km de Tchoukoutalia, causant un mort et deux blessés. La nuit suivante, des attaques auraient simultanément touché les villages de Djillom, Moundi et Ndjalia, aux alentours de Daboua, causant deux morts et le vol de plus de 1 000 têtes de bétail. Ces différents incidents ont affecté l’accès humanitaire avec des conséquences sur les personnes vulnérables dans la zone frontalière avec le Niger et le Nigéria, plusieurs partenaires ayant déjà suspendu leurs opérations dans cette zone du fait des incidents sécuritaires. Dans la zone de Kaiga Kinjiria, près de 8 000 personnes déplacées et 800 réfugiés pourraient être privés d’assistance. Par ailleurs, deux pillages de vivres par les populations ont été enregistrés au cours de distributions, soulignant l’importance de la sensibilisation avant, pendant et après les distributions.

Les fausses alertes se multiplient dans la région du Lac, afin d’attirer l’assistance humanitaire. Ainsi, une alerte avait été lancée le 2 août concernant des inondations dans 24 villages à l’ouest de Baga-Sola, qui auraient entrainé le déplacement d’environ 1 000 personnes. Cependant, la mission inter-agences composée de l’Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’Alimentation et l’Agriculture (FAO), du Programme Alimentaire Mondial (PAM), de l’Organisation Internationale pour les Migrations (OIM) et d’OCHA qui a évalué la situation à Tchoukoudoum le 4 août n’a pas constaté d’inondations ni de besoins humanitaires urgents, mettant en évidence une fausse alerte lancée par les populations et relayées par les autorités locales en vue de bénéficier de l’assistance humanitaire. La récurrence des fausses alertes, après celle de Kaiga Kinjiria en juin, souligne la nécessité d’améliorer la connaissance des autorités sur les principes humanitaires, notamment le principe d’impartialité selon lequel l’action humanitaire se base sur une analyse des besoins les plus urgents selon des critères de vulnérabilité.

La situation ne s’est pas améliorée dans la région du Lac depuis janvier 2016, selon la deuxième évaluation multisectorielle REACH (juin 2016). L’enquête a été réalisée entre avril et juin 2016 dans 267 villages et 84 sites de déplacements dans l’ensemble de la région. Les principaux résultats indiquent que les mouvements de population restent dynamiques : la majorité des villages enquêtés a connu des départs et des arrivées de déplacés, principalement à cause de la situation sécuritaire et de l’insécurité alimentaire. Les résultats soulignent également que ces déplacements entraînent une pression sur les services de base, et indiquent que l’accès aux services de santé s’est détérioré. Dans ce contexte, le risque de dégradation de la cohésion sociale et de tensions entre déplacés et communautés hôtes pourrait s’accentuer : dans un quart des villages enquêtés, on observe des tensions, et 28% des personnes enquêtées estiment que des tensions « pourraient émerger dans le futur ».