Highlights
· As of 24 May, UNHCR confirmed that just over 50,000 refugees are in country. As of 1 May, some 6,920 refugees were relocated from Agando and Chinwaren to Intikane, while discussions are on-going to open a new vast refugee hosting area (similar to Intikane) in Tazalite to relocate the 2,680 refugees who arrived in March in Mentes and Midal.
· Following the declaration of a state of emergency in three federal states in neighbouring Nigeria, an estimated 2,367 Niger citizens and 126 Nigeria citizens have crossed the border into Niger in the region of Diffa. On 28 May, UNHCR Niger will lead an interagency mission in Diffa town and region to assess the situation.
· As of 19 May, 121,142 children under-five have been admitted to therapeutic feeding centres for severe acute malnutrition (SAM), while another 168,818 have been receiving treatment for moderate acute malnutrition (MAM). Nutritional status is still under control but fragile given the increasing food prices observed due to a series of reasons including political insecurity in neighbouring Mali and Nigeria.
· On 10 May 2013, the government of Niger officially declared a cholera epidemic. As of 26 May, a cumulative number of 281 cases including 8 deaths (with a case fatality rate of 2.85 percent) have been reported, including 240 cases in Ayorou and 20 in Mangaize, where the refugee camps of Tabareybarey and Mangaize are located, respectively.
· In education, immediate needs have increased due to new influx of refugees and settlement of new camps and sites located in the Northern part of the country. The lack of emergency funding could jeopardize the 2013-2014 school year for all refugee children in Niger. An estimated US$2 million is urgently required to ensure uninterrupted emergency education.
· Despite the fact that protection issues are on the rise in camps, funding is not forthcoming. US$1.5 million needs to be mobilized for this sector (refer to funding section below for further information). Gender-Based Violence, Children Associated with Armed Forces and other armed Groups, Separated and Unaccompanied Children, and psychosocial distress affecting children remain threats to their well-being that need to be addressed through prevention, tracing and/or treatment.
· To ensure that host communities have equitable access to WASH facilities and are not deprived of their rights, UNICEF is advocating to immediately mobilize US$2.5 million for this sector (refer to funding section below for further information).
