United Nations Calls For $4.7bn To Aid Over 20m IDPs In Nigeria, 5 others 

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that humanitarian partners will need $4.7 billion in 2024, to assist 20.9 million vulnerable people across Nigeria, Chad, and five other African countries.

This was detailed in the 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Requirement Overview report, published on the UN website on Thursday.

The Sahel, a region separating the Sahara Desert from the tropical savannas, covers parts of Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal. According to OCHA, the lives of 32.8 million people in the Sahel are impacted by a complex web of crises, worsened by instability, insecurity, and climate change effects.

“The situation in the Sahel is dire, and urgent action is required,” said Charles Bernimolin, the regional head of OCHA. “Humanitarian partners need $4.7 billion in 2024 to meet the needs of 20.9 million people across the region.”

The OCHA report highlighted that the region is facing growing violence and conflict, forcing families to flee their homes and preventing access to basic services. In Nigeria alone, 7.9 million people in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states are in need, with 4.4 million targeted for aid, requiring $926.5 million in funding.

“Conflict and instability in the Sahel have led to a humanitarian crisis on an unprecedented scale,” Bernimolin added. “Without adequate resources, millions of lives are at risk.”

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The report further revealed that 2.2 million children in the region have been deprived of education due to school closures. Additionally, 1,263 health centres are closed, and the region hosts two million refugees and asylum seekers, along with 5.6 million internally displaced persons, many of whom have faced multiple displacements.

“Humanitarians across the Sahel are doing extraordinary work, often in the most challenging circumstances,” Bernimolin said. “But the crises we face are more complex than ever. Without the resources needed, these crises will continue to escalate, eroding resilience and putting vulnerable lives at risk.”

The UN data showed that humanitarian partners provided lifesaving assistance and protection services to more than 15.6 million people across the Sahel in 2023. However, millions were left without vital aid as only 41 percent of the funding needed was received last year.

“As of June 3, 2024, only 16 per cent of the humanitarian funding requirements for the six 2024 country response plans were met,” the report stated. “If aid operations collapse, it will threaten millions of lives across the Sahel.”

The OCHA urged the international community to contribute generously to ensure that the humanitarian response plans for the region can be fully implemented by the end of the year.

“We must act now to prevent further suffering and ensure that humanitarian needs are met,” Bernimolin concluded. “Moreover, given that humanitarian action alone is not a long-term solution, I urge international partners to continue to engage with the region, creating durable solutions that will reduce humanitarian needs in the future.”

The call to action from the United Nations underscores the urgent need for international support to address the humanitarian crisis in the Sahel, as millions of lives hang in the balance.