Boko Haram victims to receive $157 million from UN

People affected by the Boko Haram insurgency in the lake Chad basin region with get funds worth $157 million after the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and its humanitarian partners on Wednesday launched an inter-agency funding appeal.

Some 208,000 Nigerian refugees will receive support from 47 UN agencies including the UNHCR and other humanitarian organisations.

75,000 other Nigerian refugees in Niger, Cameroon ad Chad will also benefit from the support.

“The Boko Haram crisis lingers on and is far from over” Kelly Clements, Deputy UN High Commissioner for Refugees said at the appeal launch in Niamey.

“The world should not forget the victims of this deadly conflict, especially as there appears to be little hope for a return to peace and stability in the near future,” Clements added.

According to Clements, the Boko Haram conflict has internally displaced another 2.4 million people in north-east Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, local online website Premium Times reports.

According to the UNHCR, the threat of food insecurity and severe malnutrition is one of the most devastating side effects of the conflict.

Last year September, more than 7.2 million people in the Lake Chad basin faced food insecurity.

The Boko Haram insurgency has also led to critical levels of food insecurity and malnutrition.

Ms. Clements called stated that there is need for humanitarian aid so as to uplift services which include shelter, health, education, water and sanitation for both countries hosting refugees and regions with refugees.