The Government of Nigeria and UNHCR organize a regional Protection Dialogue on the Lake Chad Basin
The Government of Nigeria and UNHCR organize a regional Protection Dialogue on the Lake Chad Basin
UNHCR, 06 Jun 2016
URL: http://kora.unhcr.org/government-nigeria-unhcr-organize-regional-protection-dialogue-lake-chad-basin-area-people-victims-boko-haram-linked-conflict/
Over 2.7 million people are displaced in the region because of the Boko Haram linked-conflict
A Protection Dialogue on the Lake Chad Basin – the first of its kind in the region – will be hosted in Abuja by the Government of Nigeria, with the technical support of UNHCR, from 6 to 8 June, 2016. Participants will include government officials from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger as well as representatives of national, regional and international organizations – including UN agencies-, civil society, academia, and donors. The Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria and its spillover into neighboring Cameroon, Chad, and Niger have caused the displacement of over 2.7 million people in the region, generating multiple protection issues.
The context of ongoing insecurity poses particular challenges to the population in the Lake Chad Basin. The primary objective of this unique regional event is to identify the most pressing protection risks of the populations affected by the Boko Haram terror in the Lake Chad Basin, and to agree on concrete measures to better support governments in ensuring the protection of refugees, internally displaced persons and host communities.
A number of critical questions will be discussed during this high-level regional meeting: How can access to asylum be ensured for people fleeing Boko Haram, including protection from refoulement? How can the civilian and humanitarian character of refugee and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in hosting areas be preserved? How can persons with specific protection risks, such as women, children, and the elderly be better supported? What steps can be taken now to lay the groundwork for future durable solutions? What measures can be put in place to ensure displaced populations have access to identity documentation?
The countries affected by the crisis face many of the same protection challenges. Many persons have, for instance, been displaced multiple times. To date, many still live in constant fear of new attacks, even in sites of displacement or with host families, whether in neighbouring countries or within Nigeria itself. The Dialogue is an opportunity to agree on common solutions to help thousands of people affected by violence and displacement.
In Nigeria, the number of IDPs has risen to over 2.1 million, while hundreds of thousands of civilians are estimated to be living in parts of the country that remain inaccessible by humanitarian actors due to high insecurity. Some 155,000 Nigerian refugees* have fled to Cameroon, Chad and Niger, which also have sizeable internally displaced populations**. Thousands of nationals of these neigbouring countries, who were staying in Nigeria, were also obliged to return home due to the insurgency.
The terror tactics used by Boko Haram have had a devastating impact on people, including the targeting of civilians, abductions of women and children, forced marriages, forced religious conversions, and suicide attacks on markets, places of worship and IDP camps. Many families, children, women and men have endured or witnessed extreme acts of violence and suffer from deep trauma.
Many areas affected by the conflict remain out of reach to humanitarian agencies because of high insecurity, particularly in border areas. The use of mines and village raids have caused widespread destruction of property and infrastructure. An estimated one million children have been forced out of school in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, and 1,800 schools have been closed, damaged or destroyed.
The conflict has also had a devastating effect on the local economies of the Lake Chad Basin region – one of the poorest in the world – putting a serious halt to already fragile livelihood activities such as fishing, farming, and trading.
While military operations have brought back under Government control a number of areas in north-eastern Nigeria, conditions in much of that region are not yet conducive for the return of refugees and IDPs, particularly in Borno State. Alongside persistent threats from Boko Haram, the absence of basic services pose acute humanitarian and protection risks. A similar situation of insecurity prevails in the border regions of Cameroon, Chad and Niger, where Boko Haram attacks on civilians also continue.
The Protection Dialogue will begin with technical discussions on 6 and 7 June, followed by a ministerial meeting on 8 June. The ministerial meeting is expected to validate findings and endorse the way forward, with an Action Statement for which the participants will ensure concrete follow-up.
* 65,000 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon, 7,300 in Chad and 82,500 in Niger.
** 157,000 IDPs in Cameroon, 110,000 in Chad and 127,000 in Niger
Contacts:
Hélène Caux (regional), caux@unhcr.org, Tel roaming: + 221 77 333 1291
Hanson Tamfu in Abuja, tamfu@unhcr.org, Tel: +234 809 035 9400; +234 902 757 3068
Leo Dobbs in Geneva, dobbs@unhcr.org, Tel: + 41 79 833 6347
A Protection Dialogue on the Lake Chad Basin – the first of its kind in the region – will be hosted in Abuja by the Government of Nigeria, with the technical support of UNHCR, from 6 to 8 June, 2016. Participants will include government officials from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger as well as representatives of national, regional and international organizations – including UN agencies-, civil society, academia, and donors. The Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria and its spillover into neighboring Cameroon, Chad, and Niger have caused the displacement of over 2.7 million people in the region, generating multiple protection issues.
The context of ongoing insecurity poses particular challenges to the population in the Lake Chad Basin. The primary objective of this unique regional event is to identify the most pressing protection risks of the populations affected by the Boko Haram terror in the Lake Chad Basin, and to agree on concrete measures to better support governments in ensuring the protection of refugees, internally displaced persons and host communities.
A number of critical questions will be discussed during this high-level regional meeting: How can access to asylum be ensured for people fleeing Boko Haram, including protection from refoulement? How can the civilian and humanitarian character of refugee and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in hosting areas be preserved? How can persons with specific protection risks, such as women, children, and the elderly be better supported? What steps can be taken now to lay the groundwork for future durable solutions? What measures can be put in place to ensure displaced populations have access to identity documentation?
The countries affected by the crisis face many of the same protection challenges. Many persons have, for instance, been displaced multiple times. To date, many still live in constant fear of new attacks, even in sites of displacement or with host families, whether in neighbouring countries or within Nigeria itself. The Dialogue is an opportunity to agree on common solutions to help thousands of people affected by violence and displacement.
In Nigeria, the number of IDPs has risen to over 2.1 million, while hundreds of thousands of civilians are estimated to be living in parts of the country that remain inaccessible by humanitarian actors due to high insecurity. Some 155,000 Nigerian refugees* have fled to Cameroon, Chad and Niger, which also have sizeable internally displaced populations**. Thousands of nationals of these neigbouring countries, who were staying in Nigeria, were also obliged to return home due to the insurgency.
The terror tactics used by Boko Haram have had a devastating impact on people, including the targeting of civilians, abductions of women and children, forced marriages, forced religious conversions, and suicide attacks on markets, places of worship and IDP camps. Many families, children, women and men have endured or witnessed extreme acts of violence and suffer from deep trauma.
Many areas affected by the conflict remain out of reach to humanitarian agencies because of high insecurity, particularly in border areas. The use of mines and village raids have caused widespread destruction of property and infrastructure. An estimated one million children have been forced out of school in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, and 1,800 schools have been closed, damaged or destroyed.
The conflict has also had a devastating effect on the local economies of the Lake Chad Basin region – one of the poorest in the world – putting a serious halt to already fragile livelihood activities such as fishing, farming, and trading.
While military operations have brought back under Government control a number of areas in north-eastern Nigeria, conditions in much of that region are not yet conducive for the return of refugees and IDPs, particularly in Borno State. Alongside persistent threats from Boko Haram, the absence of basic services pose acute humanitarian and protection risks. A similar situation of insecurity prevails in the border regions of Cameroon, Chad and Niger, where Boko Haram attacks on civilians also continue.
The Protection Dialogue will begin with technical discussions on 6 and 7 June, followed by a ministerial meeting on 8 June. The ministerial meeting is expected to validate findings and endorse the way forward, with an Action Statement for which the participants will ensure concrete follow-up.
* 65,000 Nigerian refugees in Cameroon, 7,300 in Chad and 82,500 in Niger.
** 157,000 IDPs in Cameroon, 110,000 in Chad and 127,000 in Niger
Contacts:
Hélène Caux (regional), caux@unhcr.org, Tel roaming: + 221 77 333 1291
Hanson Tamfu in Abuja, tamfu@unhcr.org, Tel: +234 809 035 9400; +234 902 757 3068
Leo Dobbs in Geneva, dobbs@unhcr.org, Tel: + 41 79 833 6347