Nigeria

A mother participates in USAID-funded program in northeastern Nigeria.

Chris Pratt/USAID

Key Developments

Security conditions have continued to deteriorate across northeastern Nigeria in recent months. Armed group activity continues to increase across northern Nigeria, resulting in additional displacement and insecurity across the region, further constraining access to conflict-affected areas and exacerbating humanitarian needs.  

Escalating displacement in northeastern Nigeria poses continued health risks for internally displaced persons sheltering in camps and host communities, including increased transmission risk of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in congested camp-like settings, as well as protection risks resulting from organized armed group attacks, gender-based violence, and school closures.

To meet the needs of a growing number of people requiring humanitarian assistance as a result of widespread insecurity and displacement, the U.S. Government (USG) provided more than $393 million in Fiscal Year 2020 funding for the humanitarian response in Nigeria.

USG partners deliver emergency food assistance to support more than 13 million people in Nigeria in advance of the 2021 lean season.   

USAID is also responding to the complex emergency in the Lake Chad Basin region, including areas of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

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Background

Continued Boko Haram- and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-West Africa-related insecurity has resulted in population displacement, disrupted livelihoods, food insecurity, and protection concerns in northeastern Nigeria—primarily Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states—since 2015. Insecurity continues to restrict access to basic services, and both displaced people and vulnerable host communities are in need of emergency food assistance, safe drinking water, relief commodities, as well as health, nutrition, protection, shelter, and water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions. The majority of internally displaced persons in northeastern Nigeria continue to reside in host communities and camps, straining local resources and exacerbating needs among displaced and host populations. On October 3, 2019, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., Kathleen FitzGibbon redeclared a disaster for FY 2020 due to the ongoing complex emergency in Nigeria.