650, 000 People Displaced By Boko Haram Repeated Attacks In North-East
About 650, 000 Nigerians have been displaced in the North-eastern part of the country following repeated attacks on innocent civilians by the Boko Haram terrorist group.
This was made known by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in an interview with ThisDay newspaper on Monday in Abuja.
Ms. Angele Dikongue-Atangana, who is a representative of the body in Nigeria said that an intelligence assessment carried out in May attributed the development to the sect recent attacks in the North-eastern region.
“According to an intelligence assessment of North-eastern Nigeria, at least 650,000 persons have been displaced within the boundary of Nigeria. And what is of most concern to the UNHCR in Nigeria today are these internally displaced persons”
Dikongue-Atangana said.
Related Article: NEMA Reveals Number Of People Displaced By Boko Haram Onslaught In Borno
The UN representative revealed that the organisation was working on building a regional office in Gombe State, in order to cater for some of the internally displaced persons.
She also revealed that the international community and the UN systems in Nigeria are in partnership aimed at providing protection as well as care for the displaced persons. She said UNHCR would ensure efficient coordination and management of camps for the victims.
“UNHCR will always support respective states in taking care of internally displaced persons” Dikongue-Atangana. “This is one reason we want to establish an office in Gombe, to be able to cater for the needs of many displaced persons in this part of Nigeria.”
Related Article: UN Renews Call For The Release Of Kidnapped Chibok Girls
The terrorist group has its strong hold in the north-eastern part of the country, Cameroon and Niger. Lately, the sect has launched several deadly attacks and bombings which have claimed thousands of innocent lives in their quest to create an Islamic state and put an end to what they described as westernisation. Their recent action however sparked the anger of international communities like France, U.S, China, Israel, Britain among others, following the abduction of over 234 female students from a secondary school in Chibok, Borno State.
The director of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council, Peter Pham, who recently testified before a congressional committee said the Islamist had taken control of 10 local government areas in the north-east, adding that most residents, who successfully fled the area are not ready to return as long as the sect remains there.
Source: Legit.ng
