The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that its humanitarian partners require $4.7 billion in 2024 to address the urgent needs of 20.9 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Burkina Faso, Cameroon’s Far North Region, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria’s Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states.
In a statement released on Wednesday titled “Almost 33 million people in the Sahel need lifesaving humanitarian assistance and protection services,” OCHA highlighted the complex and interconnected crises affecting the region. The Sahel is grappling with instability, a deteriorating security situation, and the impacts of climate change, leaving 32.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and protection services.
“Across the Sahel, growing violence and conflict threaten lives and livelihoods, forcing families to flee their homes and preventing access to basic social services,” the statement read. “2.2 million children are deprived of their right to education due to school closures, and 1,263 health centres are closed.”
The region is currently home to two million refugees and asylum seekers, along with 5.6 million internally displaced persons, many of whom have experienced multiple displacements. The effects of climate change are further exacerbating these vulnerabilities.
“Protection of human life and people’s fundamental rights and dignity remains the most urgent humanitarian need,” the statement continued. “Women and girls, children, and those with specific needs are particularly vulnerable. In the upcoming June-August lean season, 16.7 million people will struggle to feed themselves.”
In Nigeria specifically, OCHA noted that 7.9 million people in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states are in need of assistance. The agency aims to target 4.4 million people with the required funding of $926.5 million.
The statement highlighted that 2.2 million children in the area are deprived of education due to school closures, and 1,263 health centres are non-operational. The region also hosts two million refugees and asylum seekers, in addition to the internally displaced population.
“Humanitarian partners require $4.7 billion in 2024 to meet the urgent needs of 20.9 million people in Burkina Faso, Cameroon’s Far North Region, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria’s Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states,” OCHA stated. “Lives are at risk unless humanitarians are given the resources needed to respond to these crises and support the region’s most vulnerable people.”
The appeal underscores the critical need for international support to alleviate the suffering of millions in the Sahel and to ensure the provision of essential services and protection.
