The US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, has announced nearly 40 million dollars in new humanitarian assistance to support people whose lives have been affected by Boko Haram insurgency.
Power said that she made the announcement in Cameroon during a trip to the Lake Chad Basin region to highlight the growing threat of Boko Haram.
The US State Department made this known in a statement that was issued on Wednesday.
It said that approximately 7 million people were suffering displacement, deprivation, and disease from the consequences of armed conflict in Nigeria, including 2.2 million internally displaced persons.
“As a result of the prolonged crisis, communities, who have generously hosted IDPs, have also exhausted their resources and find themselves struggling to make ends meet,” it said.
There are nearly 170,000 Nigerian refugees, who have fled to Cameroon, Chad and Niger countries whose citizens have also suffered from Boko Haram attacks and consequent displacement.
The statement said that the funding would support the work of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) and other international aid organisations in the region promise to provide essential protection and assistance to those affected.
This new funding brings the total US humanitarian assistance for the Lake Chad Basin humanitarian response in the 2015 and 2016 financial years to more than 237 million dollars.
“Funding announced today will allow UNHCR to provide Nigerian refugees with essential assistance, such as access to clean water and sanitation facilities.
“Health care, essential household items, shelter, programmes, which protect children, and activities to prevent and respond to gender-based violence,” the statement said.
It will also support UNHCR’s protection efforts across the region, including maintaining access to asylum.
“The US contribution will also allow our partners to extend and expand the reach of emergency food assistance in north eastern Nigeria.
“By providing the most vulnerable people, including displaced persons, with cash and vouchers for food, the US is promoting household food security while supporting local markets and trade,” the statement said.
In total, the UN estimates that there are 9.2 million people across the Lake Chad Basin region in need of immediate assistance and has requested 535 million dollars for the 2016 response.
The US urged other donors to join us in responding to this humanitarian crisis.
