Representatives from some of the world's leading aid agencies share their thoughts
By Kieran Guilbert
DIFFA, Niger, May 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Almost a quarter-of-a-million people are living in makeshift camps in Niger's southeast Diffa region, where Nigerians and Nigeriens alike have been uprooted by Boko Haram violence.
The Islamist militant group has ramped up attacks in Diffa after being driven further and further back into northeast Nigeria, near its borders with Chad and Niger, by a 9,000-strong regional taskforce and Nigerian and Cameroonian troops.
Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that his country was facing a "catastrophic humanitarian situation", ahead of a panel on the Lake Chad Basin at this week's World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul.
Here are the main humanitarian needs for the displaced in Diffa, according to some of the world's leading aid agencies.
STEPHANE DOYON, MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES (MSF) REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR WEST AFRICA
"Humanitarian aid is delivered mainly in parts of Diffa that agencies can reach easily, but there are many areas where there could be pockets of displaced people living without any help.
Health-wise, the low rate of immunisation among children is very worrying, and raises fears of epidemics like measles.
One of the most striking features of the displacement is that people do not feel safe. They are traumatised by what they have experienced and seen, including executions, slaughters and houses being burned down.
Many people have lost all of their possessions, and some have also lost members of their families. MSF is providing psychological support to help heal these invisible wounds."
MOHAMMED CHIKHAOUI, NIGER COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR OXFAM
"The humanitarian situation is becoming more catastrophic by the day. The despair is read on the faces of the displaced people, refugees from Nigeria and displaced Nigeriens alike.
This crisis has come on top of two years of low harvest and challenges accessing enough staple food and fodder for animals.
The insecurity and restrictions on fishing and other livelihoods introduced by the state of emergency are making it increasingly difficult to access enough food to eat.
Friends, families and host communities do what they can to help, but there are now more mouths to feed and less food to go around and this burden is causing increasing numbers of families to fall into poverty and hunger."
KARL STEINACKER, NIGER REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE U.N. REFUGEE AGENCY (UNHCR)
"In terms of key challenges, with approximately 135 out-of-camp sites hosting the displaced, it is proving difficult to reach all of the vulnerable populations.
Three years after the arrival of the first refugees from Nigeria, forced displacement has become rampant in Diffa region.
People live in fear of attacks, or face embargoes on agriculture, trade and transport suspected to finance terrorism.
For the counter-insurgency to succeed, local grievances need to be taken seriously. We need to switch from hand-outs to real development so that young men are not lured to go underground and join the extremists."
MATIAS MEIER, INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE (IRC) NIGER DIRECTOR
"Displaced people and refugees generally live in fear, and are uncertain of their future. Less than five percent of them are in camps, while the rest are in host families or in spontaneous sites, where the delivery of aid is not consistent.
Their current situation is really precarious. Some 100,000 displaced people in Diffa have established themselves along the main national road with self-constructed shelters that will not stand the rainy season and its winds.
In addition to humanitarian assistance, aid agencies need to start large scale recovery and development programmes, to give this part of the world a chance not only to survive and thrive, but also not avoid temptations of joining insurgent groups."
LOUKAS PETRIDIS, HEAD OF RED CROSS (ICRC) DELEGATION IN NIGER
"Access to food and water remains the top priority for these people, who are increasingly relying on humanitarian aid.
This is exacerbated by the drastic fall, driven mainly by the conflict, in the production of food and cash crops like peppers, the lack of trade with Nigeria, and very few other economic opportunities, such as fishing in the lake.
The vulnerability of these people and the difficulty of accessing health centers means diseases like malaria and diarrhea can have a devastating impact. Malnutrition remains a chronic issue and the conflict makes it even more critical."
BENOIT THIRY, NIGER COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR THE U.N. WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME (WFP)
"The security situation is not improving. For example, a couple of months ago, close to 100,000 people living along the border moved to the main highway for safety reasons. Now there is a plan to move another seven villages away from the border.
Even if these people are not in need of food aid now, such relocation will further increase their needs in the future.
The state of emergency declared in the region, along with anti-terrorist measures such as a ban on trade, and transport by motorbike are having negative impact on people's livelihoods."
(Reporting By Kieran Guilbert, Editing by Ros Russell; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, corruption and climate change. Visit news.trust.org)
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