United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) on Friday said no fewer than six million people were displaced in the Lake Chad Basin region’s conflicts from January 2024 to January 2025.
Mr Alain Akpadji, Resident Representative for UNFPA Burkina Faso, representing the Regional Director for UNFPA West and Central Africa Region, said during the 5th edition of the Lake Chad Basin Governors’ Forum in Maiduguri.
Akpadji, who was represented by Mr Koessan Francis, the Resident Representative for UNFPA in Nigeria, said the figures were released by the International Organisation for Migration’s (IOM) reports.
He said the six million individuals affected by the crisis in Lake Chad were mostly Internally Displaced Persons persons (IDPs) and returnees.
“As of 30 December, there were a total of 2.9 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the region, including 2.3 million in Nigeria, there are 266, 5000 refugees.
“Vulnerable populations in the region continue to face severe food insecurity and malnutrition, while access to basic services has deteriorated since the last reporting period.
“Some 4.9 million people in the region are at risk of food-insecurity, and there have been 299,000 admissions for severe acute malnutrition so far this year.
“Women and girls are affected because of their gender roles as well as the consequences of extreme food-insecurity and poverty.
“They are often attacked while engaging in everyday activities such as fetching water or firewood, going to farms and markets, walking to latrines or when traveling to access services,” the envoy said.
Francis, however, called for the adoption of durable solutions for IDPs and refugees in the Lake Chad Basin Region.
“For example, a rural woman who became an IDP or urban refugee has gained expertise in other areas that could help her community,” he said