Regional Overview

INTRODUCTION

Throughout 2016, Boko Haram insurgents continued to commit grave human rights violations and carry out attacks against civilians including suicide bombings, widespread sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), kidnapping and forced recruitment, in north-eastern Nigeria and in the Lake Chad Basin. Despite achieving considerable gains in counter-insurgency operations, the Nigerian Armed Forces and Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) military operations’ led to further forced population movements. Boko Haram’s guerilla tactics led to new large-scale and secondary displacements towards Cameroon, and inside Niger, where entire villages were emptied. At the beginning of 2016, the majority of new arrivals into Cameroon’s Minawao refugee camp came from border areas, where they had previously sought asylum and safety, but owing Boko Haram incursions and military retaliations, they were forced to move further inland. Since June, the majority of new arrivals have come directly from Nigeria, some claiming to have escaped Boko Haram captivity while others cited leaving because of the deplorable conditions in IDP camps. As of October 2016, about 170,000 Nigerian refugees were hosted in Cameroon, Chad and Niger. The conflict had also internally displaced 192,912 persons in Cameroon’s Far North region, 82,260 in Chad’s Lake region (as of 31 Oct) and 184,230 persons in Niger’s Diffa region (as of 30 Sept).
Encouragingly, a great number of civilians were freed from Boko Haram captivity by the military in Nigeria.
In addition, Local Government Areas (LGAs) in northeastern Nigeria where 800,000 persons had been trapped over the past years, were liberated. However, owing to the highly volatile security and protection situation, it remains to be seen whether conditions in north-eastern Nigeria will become conducive for the voluntary repatriation of refugees in safety in dignity and whether respective tripartite agreements between Nigeria, host countries and UNHCR will be signed.
In a region, which is already characterised by extreme poverty, harsh climatic conditions, poor infrastructure, limited access to basic services and epidemic outbreaks, continued protection and assistance for refugees, IDPs and other affected communities are required in 2017.

2016 Achievements

Despite the gravity of the crisis, refugee and IDP responses remain seriously underfunded, with only 36 per cent of required funds received as of November for the 2016 Nigeria Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRRP). Despite the limited funding and based on the 2016 Nigeria RRRP, UN agencies and NGOs, in collaboration with the Governments of Cameroon, Chad and Niger, provided protection and humanitarian assistance to refugees and host communities in all three countries as well as to IDPs and returning Niger nationals. Respective achievements include:
Protection - The most prominent achievement at a politico-strategic level was the commitment made by the governments of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger to implement the Regional Strategic Protection Framework for the Lake Chad Basin situation, the so called 'Abuja Action Statement' (see Annex I). This statement was the result of a Regional Protection Dialogue, organized in Abuja, Nigeria from 6 to 8 June 2016 by the Government of Nigeria and UNHCR, to discuss key protection concerns and priorities in the Lake Chad Basin. It brought together high-level government representatives of the four countries, donors, UN agencies, NGOs and civil society. The statement sets forth the regional

• As of 30 November 2016, UN-coordinated appeals and refugee response plans within the Global Humanitarian Overview (GHO) require US$22.1 billion to meet the needs of 96.2 million humanitarian crisis-affected people in 40 countries. Together the appeals are funded at $11.4 billion, leaving a shortfall of $10.7 billion.

• In November, the funding requirements for the initial Flash Appeal for Haiti to respond to the most urgent humanitarian needs caused by Hurricane Matthew increased by $19 million, bringing the total to $139 million. The Flash Appeal targets the 750,000 people most in need of assistance until the end of the year. In Somalia, needs continue to rise due to drought, conflict, displacement and lack of basic services. Partners require $471 million before the end of the year to provide life-saving assistance to vulnerable communities. Critical clusters such as food security, health, education and protection are all funded below 35 per cent.

• The Libyan Humanitarian Response Plan remains underfunded at 30 per cent. Only four out of 98 hospitals in Libya work at full capacity and the severe lack of funding has meant critical needs in the health sector continue to be unmet. Meanwhile, the Libya Flash Appeal which requests $10.7 million by the end of the year, is only 5 per cent funded. The appeal seeks to provide urgent protection and life-saving assistance to 79,400 people in the Libyan city of Sirte. Please see icon overleaf for information on other urgent funding needs.

• In 2016, the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has disbursed $408 million to 47 countries. In November alone, almost $16 million was disbursed to four crises, including to assist 385,000 Afghan returnees from Pakistan, stranded Syrian refugees in the Berm, South Sudanese refugees in the CAR, and internally displaced persons in the Republic of Congo. CERF is currently projecting an income of nearly $425 million for 2016, which leaves a shortfall of $25 million on the $450 million funding target for this year. The CERF High-Level Pledging Conference for 2017 will be held on 13 December in New York and chaired by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

• Country-based pooled fund (CBPF) allocations, including planned allocations, in 2016 total $531 million to 369 partners through 1,010 projects. Some 18 per cent ($98 million) have gone to national NGOs; 45 per cent ($241.5 million) to international NGOs; 36 per cent ($189 million) to UN agencies and 0.5 per cent ($2.7 million) to the Red Cross/Red Crescent. CBPFs have been instrumental in supporting some 32 million people with health services, 14.7 million people with water and sanitation interventions and some 14.5 million people with nutritional support. Since January 2016, 18 Member States have contributed a total of $549 million for operations in 17 countries.

HIGHLIGHTS

• More than 4.6 million people in Nigeria’s Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states are experiencing acute food insecurity

• IOM identifies nearly 198,900 IDPs in Cameroon’s Far North Region

• Armed actors continues to attack civilians and security forces in the Lake Chad Basin region

KEY DEVELOPMENTS

• The Boko Haram insurgency continues to impede humanitarian access and exacerbate needs among affected populations, particularly in northeastern Nigeria. Despite ongoing impediments, humanitarian access has improved in recent months, and relief organizations continue to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable populations in the Lake Chad Basin.

• FromNovember29toDecember2,theInter-AgencyStandingCommittee(IASC) Emergency Directors Group (EDG) is visiting Nigeria to meet with international donors, relief organizations, and affected populations. The EDG aims to mobilize additional resources for relief operations in northeastern Nigeria, reinforcing efforts to prevent and respond to humanitarian protection violations.

• The UN plans to establish a network of hub facilities in Nigeria’s Borno State to improve relief operations and support increased humanitarian activities in Borno. The hubs will provide accommodation for humanitarian personnel while supporting storage of life- saving relief commodities. The hubs aim to increase humanitarian access to remote areas of Borno and allow for improved management and monitoring of relief operations.

• USAID’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) continues to lead the U.S. Government (USG) response to the humanitarian crisis in northeastern Nigeria. In coordination with the Government of Nigeria (GoN), the DART is bolstering USG emergency response activities—including the provision of emergency food, nutrition, health, protection, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance—to address the urgent needs of conflict-affected people. From FY 2015–2016, the USG provided more than $366 million in humanitarian assistance for the Lake Chad Basin response, comprising relief operations in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria.

Lake Chad Basin - Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #4, Fiscal Year (FY) 2017

107.5 M required for 2016
29.2 M contributions received, representing 27% of requirements
78.4 M funding gap for the Nigeria Situation

Highlights

• On 24 November, 714 children and women were transferred by the Chadian authorities to the leaders of their areas of origin (chef de canton).

• Some 333 men, women and children are still being held at Baga Sola high school; the status of these people has yet to be determined by the competent authorities.

• As at 2 December, 62 children suspected of association with an armed group have been brought to the CTO1 in Bol.

• The humanitarian community stands available to provide assistance in the areas of return however requires further clarification on the part of local and traditional authorities as to the final destination of these people in order to include the most vulnerable in the regular humanitarian assistance programs.

Situation Overview

On 24 November, the regional authorities transferred 714 women and children (256 women and 458 children) to the local authorities. It is planned that these people will first be brought to their canton of origin, before eventually be transferred to their village of origin. At present, the national authorities have not foreseen any particular support to facilitate access to basic services for these people nor provide any form of reintegration assistance.
Most of these people have been relocated to the canton of Bol (see map).

At present some 333 men, women and children are still in Baga Sola high school without a clear definition of their status. The humanitarian community is engaged in advocacy efforts to ensure the respect of international legal obligations by the Government of Chad, in particular with respect to the protection of children and thereby orient these children to appropriate structures.

Support to facilitate reintegration and provide indirect assistance to those who have been relocated and those most vulnerable still being held in at the high school requires further clarity on a number of issues, notably:

• Detailed breakdown of the persons who have returned to their communities (by age and sex);

• Clarification on the modalities of assistance foreseen by the decentralized and traditional authorities as well as the technical departments of the state;

• A disaggregation (age and sex) of the persons still held in Baga Sola high school;

• A clarification of the status of the persons held at Baga Sola high school.

The situation remains fluid as people continue to surrender. As at 28 November, 22 people were transferred to Baga Sola high school; among those were nine men, seven women and six children.

Faits saillants

• Le 24 novembre, 714 enfants et femmes ont été transférés par les autorités tchadiennes à leurs chefs de cantons d’origine.

• Environ 333 hommes, femmes et enfants sont toujours retenus au lycée de Baga Sola dont le statut reste à être déterminé par les autorités compétentes.

• A la date du 02 décembre 2016, 62 enfants suspectés d’association à un groupe armés ont été accueillis au CTO.

• La communauté humanitaire reste disponible pour une assistance dans les lieux de retour mais nécessite plus de précisions de la part des autorités régionales et traditionnelles quant aux destinations dans une optique d’inclusion des plus vulnérables dans les programmes réguliers humanitaires.

Aperçu de la situation

Le 24 novembre, les autorités de la région ont remis 714 enfants et femmes (256 femmes et 458 enfants) aux autorités locales. Il est prévu que ces personnes retournent d’abord dans leur canton d’origine, avant un éventuel transfert dans leur village d’origine. Actuellement, l’Etat tchadien n’a pas prévu de soutien particulier en termes d’accès aux services pour ces personnes, ni d’assistance à la réinstallation. La plupart de ces personnes ont été relocalisées dans le canton de Bol (voir carte).
Actuellement environ 333 hommes, femmes et enfants se trouvent toujours dans le lycée de Baga Sola sans clarification de leur statut. Un plaidoyer de la part de la communauté humanitaire est actuellement en cours pour assurer le respect des engagements légaux du Tchad en matière de protection de l’enfance, et ainsi orienter tous les enfants vers une structure adaptée.

L’insuffisance d’informations est un frein à un éventuel appui à la réintégration des personnes concernées et un appui indirect aux plus vulnérables. La communauté humanitaire recommande les actions suivantes :

• Une information détaillée sur les retours dans les communautés (par âge et sexe);

• Une clarification sur les modalités d’accueil prévues par les autorités décentralisées et traditionnelles et les services techniques de l’Etat ;

• Une désagrégation (par âge et sexe) des personnes toujours retenues au lycée ;

• Une clarification du statut des personnes retenues au lycée.

La situation reste dynamique car les redditions continuent. En date du 28 novembre, 22 personnes dont neuf hommes, sept femmes et six enfants ont été transférés au lycée de Baga Sola.

Mlians voted last week to appoint 12,000 local officials. This seems to indicate progress in the conflict-afflicted country, considering that the polls have been postponed four times since 2014. Yet the effective establishment of interim authorities designated by government and the groups who signed Mali’s 2015 peace agreement continues to be delayed in northern regions. In light of this and renewed insecurity, some question the validity of going ahead with the elections, which might not deliver the necessary popular legitimacy and level of representation.

An election day ambush against a Malian army convoy transporting ballot boxes in the center of the country left five soldiers dead. Ballot boxes were also set alight in Timbuktu and Gaol, and polling failed to take place in several northern areas. The violence highlights the failure to install the interim authorities in Kidal, Timbuktu, Gao, Ménaka, and Taoudéni, which was expected to help re-establish state authority in the whole of the country. In addition to a national reconciliation conference planned for December (now also delayed), the authorities would promote dialogue and enhance nationwide ownership of a peace process that has been viewed as lacking inclusion.

Bringing more parties on board has been a challenge during both the negotiation and implementation of the peace agreement. Ensuring effective participation of the wide variety of local stakeholders—including women and civil society—is an overarching concern among the diverse international presence in the country, including the United Nations mission (MINUSMA) supporting the government in many aspects of its state responsibilities. Although international support is broadly deemed to be vital for protecting certain populations, as well as safeguarding the state itself, local ownership is critical for ensuring the longer-term sustainability of the peace agreement.

This local focus must also be reflected in policymaking, which is why we recently met with representatives of Malian civil society organizations. These groups are working with local networks and engaging communities in multi-stakeholder processes to manage the challenges and opportunities related to the peace agreement and reconciliation process.

While there is a broad expectation that the upcoming reconciliation conference will foster a greater sense of inclusion, those we met with were concerned it might be no more than a talk fest, with no tangible outcome. In order to yield the right results, the conference must instead be part of a long-term process that builds on the many engagement initiatives and networks already established in different parts of Mali.

Civil society organizations have the knowledge to contribute to this end, but they need to work in a more consistent, coordinated, and transparent fashion. Our panel suggested some positive experiences of coordination between the government, local actors, and the international community that could be built on. This includes development of Mali’s National Action Plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security, which saw strong input from civil society organizations. These organizations have pushed for 50-50 gender representation in implementation of the peace accords and have worked on curbing gender-based violence in the country.

One of the individuals we spoke with, Boubacar Thera, from the West African Network for Peacebuilding, said civil society can ensure the bottom-up approach needed to ensure the sustainability of the efforts the government and the international community have already invested in development and peace in Mali. The peace agreement does assign an important role to civil society in the consultative security committees that are to be established at local levels. It will be important to ensure that these committees include representatives from all relevant sectors.

Néné Konaté from the Malian Institute of Research and Action for Peace, meanwhile, said civil society groups had already held various meetings across Mali to discuss what to expect from implementation of the peace agreement. One of the conclusions was that continued dialogue is key to realizing sustainable peace in Mali. To make the national conference fulfill expectations in this regard, it will be crucial that the government foster inclusion in both planning and execution. Despite its lack of a date, a lead coordinator has been appointed by the government to advance planning of the event.

Although the Malian government and its international partners have worked to disseminate the peace agreement throughout the country, it is clear that a large part of the population still does not have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the content to support it. This, in addition to the delays in implementation provisions, has led many to feel disengaged and disillusioned with the process. “We need local civilians to be involved in implementation, but if they don’t understand the agreement, they can’t play their part,” Ms. Konaté said. An inclusive national dialogue would obviously contribute to increasing the population’s ownership of the agreement. It would help to address an increasing lack of trust between Malian state and society members.

In response to concerns about the slow implementation of the peace accord, the Malian ambassador to the UN, Issa Konfourou, has said that the government promotes inclusiveness wherever possible, but also pointed to the challenges posed by extremist groups that benefit from perpetuating a climate of instability in Mali. “Violent extremism, terrorism, and organized crime pose the biggest obstacles to the implementation and is the main reason why the agreement is taking a while to show results” he said. While the civil society representatives we met with generally agreed that insecurity does pose a severe challenge to implementing the agreement—and also makes it hard for civil society to actively support the process in northern areas outside government control—they maintained that the risks of not fostering inclusiveness outweighed the threats.

Maître Saran Keïta, from the Women’s Peace and Security Network in the ECOWAS Region, argued that women and youth especially have not been sufficiently engaged and have had to “push the doors open” in order to be allowed to participate. She pointed to examples of new legislation that designates quotas for women in government bodies, but which still remains to be implemented. “The peace agreement is a document of the elites in Mali; an international document with no real local ownership,” Ms. Keïta said. She underlined that the largest obstacle for comprehensive inclusion remains political will rather than security challenges.

While inclusion comes with a set of inherent challenges, it is nevertheless critical to achieving the goals outlined in Mali’s peace agreement and to promote national reconciliation. Civil society can play a major role in this by bringing members of their networks to the table. The national reconciliation conference should proceed soon, and with this focus in mind. It must also be followed by concrete action from all parties, including international partners.

Lesley Connolly and Delphine Mechoulan are Policy Analysts in the Center for Peace Operations at the International Peace Institute. Minna Hojland is UN Liaison Officer at the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict.

Originally Published in the Global Observatory

Highlights

• On 24 November, 714 children and women were transferred by the Chadian authorities to the leaders of their areas of origin (chef de canton).

• Some 315 men, women and children are still being held at Baga Sola high school; the status of these people has yet to be determined by the competent authorities.

• As at 2 December, 62 children suspected of association with an armed group have been brought to the CTO1 in Bol.

• The humanitarian community stands available to provide assistance in the areas of return however requires further clarification on the part of local and traditional authorities as to the final destination of these people in order to include the most vulnerable in the regular humanitarian assistance programs.

Situation Overview

On 24 November, the regional authorities transferred 714 women and children (256 women and 458 children) to the local authorities. It is planned that these people will first be brought to their canton of origin, before eventually be transferred to their village of origin. At present, the national authorities have not foreseen any particular support to facilitate access to basic services for these people nor provide any form of reintegration assistance.
Most of these people have been relocated to the canton of Bol (see map).

At present some 315 men, (among whom potentially adolescents aged 15 to 18 years of age) are still in Baga Sola high school without a clear definition of their status. The humanitarian community is engaged in advocacy efforts to ensure the respect of international legal obligations by the Government of Chad, in particular with respect to the protection of children and thereby orient these children to appropriate structures.

Support to facilitate reintegration and provide indirect assistance to those who have been relocated and those most vulnerable still being held in at the high school requires further clarity on a number of issues, notably:

• Detailed breakdown of the persons who have returned to their communities (by age and sex);

• Clarification on the modalities of assistance foreseen by the decentralized and traditional authorities as well as the technical departments of the state;

• A disaggregation (age and sex) of the persons still held in Baga Sola high school;

• A clarification of the status of the persons held at Baga Sola high school.

The situation remains fluid as people continue to surrender. As at 28 November, 22 people were transferred to Baga Sola high school; among those were nine men, seven women and six children.

In Numbers

1.8 million internally displaced people (OCHA)

1,263,681 South Sudanese refugees (UNHCR)

212,071 seeking shelter with the UN (UNMISS)

3.6 million people in need of food assistance from October—December (WFP estimate)

Highlights

• WFP tests main transport routes that have been closed since July.

• Phase IV distributions ongoing in Northern Bahr el Ghazal—100,000 people received assistance so far.

• IRRM mission completed mission in Ngoku, south of Wau, providing support to 15,700 people.

Situation Update

 WFP’s latest food and nutrition security report indicates that 3.6 million people are currently severely food insecure—an unprecedented level despite seasonal improvements in line with the harvest season. Among these, 600,000 people are in urban centres across the country. Food and nutrition security is anticipated to deteriorate further in 2017, with 4.6 million people likely to be severely food insecure in the first quarter of the year. The continued deterioration of the food security situation comes as a result of spiralling prices, hyperinflation, poor harvests, continued displacement and disruption of trade and livelihood activities.