West and Central Africa: Weekly Humanitarian Snapshot (2 – 7 November 2023) – Niger

Niger

Non-state armed groups force thousands to flee

Since 28 October 2023, approximately 4,750 people (945 households) have sought refuge in the town of Bankilaré, in the west of the country, around 50 km from the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, after non-state armed groups (NSAGs) ordered the population of several villages in the department to leave their homes or face reprisal. These internally displaced persons (IDPs) are in urgent need of food, shelter, non-food items, protection services, health care, clean water and sanitation facilities. The Bankilaré department already hosted approximately 3,400 IDPs, many of whom had sought refuge in Bankilaré town. In August 2023, over 1,000 IDPs arrived in Bankilaré after clashes between sedentary and pastoral communities. In addition, NSAGs frequently attack villages in the areas bordering Burkina Faso,
Mali and Niger, killing and abducting civilians, stealing cattle, collecting illegal taxes and forcing the population to flee.

Nigeria

Millions face food insecurity

About 3.3 million people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, in north-east Nigeria, will face high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition by December 2023, according to the latest Cadre Harmonisé analysis. This is a 10 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2022. The number of food-insecure people in the three states is expected to increase to 4.4 million during the 2024 lean season (June to August).
Across the whole country, 26.5 million people are predicted to face food insecurity between June and August 2024, a 6 per cent increase on 2023. Conflict, climate change, and record-high inflation are the key drivers of the food and nutrition crisis.

Cameroon

Violent attack triggers displacement

On 6 November 2023, at least 20 people were left dead and 10 more seriously wounded as a result of an attack by a NSAG in Egbekaw village, Manyu department, near the border with Nigeria. The NSAG members are reported to have fired indiscriminately, including against women and children, and to have set ablaze 17 houses. The attack has triggered a displacement of the local population, though the total number of people affected is not yet confirmed. The region has been grappling with ongoing violence for seven years as anglophone separatist groups fight government troops. Humanitarian organizations continue to advocate for the protection of civilian populations.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Human rights concerns persist as NGOs call for access

The United Nations Joint Human Rights Office recorded at least 940 human rights violations and abuses in July and August of this year, compared to 816 for the previous two-month reporting period. This included conflict-related sexual violence against 120 adults (including 119 women), with members of non-state armed groups responsible for 89 of the cases. Overall, 575 human rights violations were attributed to members of armed groups (61%) and 365 violations were attributed to public officials (39%).
In the conflict-affected provinces of Ituri (north-east) and North Kivu (east), armed groups continued to have a significant impact on the humanitarian and human rights situation. Three international non-governmental organizations issued a joint communiqué warning of access difficulties due to renewed violence and calling for a humanitarian corridor to Mweso and Rutshuru health zones in the east.