A worrisome picture of the humanitarian crisis engendered by violence and ecological challenges in the south east was laid bare last week by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DSP), Benjamin Kalu.
In a roundtable discussion with representatives of International Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Kalu reeled out startling statistics on Internally Displaced Persons IDPS from the south east region.
Titled “Through Their Eyes: A Call To Action, Addressing Humanitarian Challenges In The South East”, the aim of the roundtable was to explore collaborative strategies to address humanitarian, ecological and systemic challenges affecting the zone.
By the figures released at the event, there are more than 268,000 IDPs spread across 158 camps and affected communities in the south east zone of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states. Kalu threw further insight into the nature of the humanitarian challenges; characterised by displacement, violence, ecological problems including gully erosion that has destroyed homes and left many without shelter.
“Shelter, in particular remains a pressing concern. Families live in makeshift camps or overcrowded host communities, exposed to health risks, insecurity and loss of dignity…This crisis demands not only immediate intervention but also sustainable strategies to restore stability and hope.” he further stressed.
Midway in the discussions, a documentary on the grim humanitarian crisis arising from violence, displacement and ecological challenges was shown to the audience. It brought close the reality of the displacements and huge ecological challenges confronting the zone.
It was perhaps, the first official attempt to recognise and document the existence of IDPs and their make-shift camps in the south east. The sheer number of displaced persons and the reality of the existence of IDP camps in the zone must have altered preconceived notions on the issue.
Before now, the impression was that there are neither IDPs nor their camps in the south east region. That notion may have festered due to the absence of federal established and funded IDP camps even in the face of the dislocations arising from festering insecurity and ecological displacements. The attitude of the federal government overtime to issues affecting the zone, may also have had a hand in sustaining that notion.
All that have been dispelled by the chilling statistics reeled out by the office of the DSP in conjunction with Peace In South East Project (PISE-P) The reality of IDPs and their camps ( no matter the shape they take) in the region is no longer in doubt.
What should be of utmost concern is how to galvanise and pull efforts by governments at all levels to provide humanitarian interventions and sustainable development solutions to the challenge. The humanitarian crisis in the south east is real. It is not just a regional issue but a national challenge that requires collaborative action.
The military operations in the zone , constant attacks and killings by the so-called unknown gunmen and violence often ascribed to the IPOB have all led to huge displacements and relocation of a host of communities fleeing to safety. Many of the displaced persons are scattered in overcrowded villages considered relatively safer, make-shift camps, shanties and the state capitals.
Due largely to the itinerant and mobile nature of people of the zone, the full weight of the displacements is not being properly felt by the authorities. But that does not in any way whittle down the enormity of the crisis as the displaced contend with the challenges of shelter, health risks, insecurity and overcrowding in host communities.
Displacements as a result of insecurity and organised violence have equally taken a serious toll on the cultural practices of the people of the region. It is commonplace these days to see the Igbo organise traditional wedding ceremonies and bury their dead ones outside their ancestral homes due to insecurity. These are cultural practices hitherto considered abnormal by the people. Perhaps, the burial of a university professor from Orsu local government area of Imo state in his Owerri residence just two weeks ago reinforces the gravity of the displacements.
The south east is also home to devastating erosion that has over the years led to displacement of families from their ancestral lands with no hope of return. Communities and entire farm lands have been completely washed away. The major cluster of gully erosion sites are in the highland regions of Imo state: Ideato North and south, Orlu, Njaba and ihitte-Uboma. Gully sites in Anambra state are located in three sites in Nanka rated as the largest in Nigeria at 66 metres deep, 2,900 metres long and 349 metres wide according to American Journal of Geographic Information System. Oko-Ekwulobia, UruOkpala-Ozubulu and Agulu-Ezechukwu erosion sites are some of the few to mention.
Isuochi in Abia state, Udi in Enugu state and others in Ebonyi add up to the 2,800 active erosion sites recorded by the World Igbo Environmental Foundation (WIEF) in the zone. A breakdown of this figure shows Anambra has 1000 active erosion sites, Imo 300, Abia 500, Enugu 500 and Ebonyi 500.
When these sites are aggregated, the enormity of the risk faced by the zone consequent of erosion menace becomes very frightening. That is why the recent intervention by Kalu comes in handy. No doubt, a lot of effort was put into documenting IDPs and their camps as well as the mortal threat of erosion in the zone.
These figures highlight the utter neglect of the humanitarian and ecological challenges plaguing the south east region. The focus on the peculiar security and ecological challenges of the south east, is a patriotic and worthwhile effort that deserves commendation. The challenge has been identified thus softening the ground for its solution. What remains is for the various levels of government in collaboration with NGOs to take up the initiative.
The National Policy on IDPs provides for assistance and protection of affected persons in the areas of food security, sanitation, hygiene, shelter, health services and non-food items. Curiously, there have been no efforts by the federal government working alone or in conjunction with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to tackle the humanitarian challenges of the south east region.
At the end of 2023, data put together by the UNHCR said Nigeria had an estimated 3.3 million IDPs representing a slight improvement in the 2022 figure of 3.6 million. About half of this figure was generated from Borno State fraught with Boko Haram insurgency.
The rest was made up by IDPs from other states in the north east, north west and north central plagued by Boko Haram, banditry and the insurgency of the herdsmen. Data from the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), a program that collects and analyses IDP data in Nigeria indicated that as at December 2023, the number of IDPs in Benue, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Nassarawa, Plateau, Sokoto and Zamfara states stood at 1,092,196 persons in 183,437 households.
It is therefore not surprising that Nigeria is rated one of the 10 countries with the largest number of IDPs in the world. When the UNHCR figures are paired with the 268,000 IDPs of the south east, the enormity of the challenge is better conjectured. The figures could even be higher given the difficulty in generating accurate and reliable data on these shores.
The federal government maintains IDP camps in many of the northern states plagued by sundry violence and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It also works with international NGOs as part of the humanitarian response to provide shelter, non-food items, blankets, cash assistance apart from supporting water sanitation, health and education as priority areas.
But the same measure is yet to be extended to the south east. Rather, our leaders opted to live in denial of the reality that the festering insecurity, violence and killings in the zone are bound to lead to displacement of persons in their numbers.
Kalu pledged the commitment of his office to champion the legislative and policy frameworks that will address the issues most comprehensively. This gives hope. It is not just about immediate humanitarian support but sustainable strategies to restore peace, order and stability to affected communities.
That is part of the durable solutions’ component of the National Policy on IDPs. It entails addressing and eliminating factors that accentuate the displacement of persons from their home such as insecurity, violence and ecological factors.
With this achieved, issues of return, sustainable reintegration and resettlement can then progress in earnest. It is hoped the new reality presented by the existence of IDPs in the south east region will henceforth be factored into federal government’s comprehensive policy response to the issue. This should ensure all sections of the country are carried along in evolving immediate and long term solutions to factors that incubate IDPs.
