By Dipo Olowookere
The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) on Wednesday dispatched a helicopter with four medical personnel, 400 kg of emergency medical supplies and airlifted eight Nigeria Red Cross workers injured following a military airstrike that hit Rann locality of Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno state.
“This is an unfortunate tragedy that befell people already suffering the effects of violence,” said Edward Kallon, the UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria. Mr Kallon said that the Nigerian army has also deployed a medical team and “is working with humanitarian partners to ensure maximum support to the affected people.”
Rann is one of the localities in north-eastern Nigeria that have recently become accessible to humanitarian organizations. Emergency assistance is gradually being ramped up in areas that were previously unreachable.
In Rann, around 43,000 people are internally displaced and struggle with serious food shortages and severe acute malnutrition. Humanitarian access to the area has been difficult due to insecurity and bad roads.
The humanitarian community expresses its profound sympathy and solidarity with those affected by today’s incident. Additional assistance and personnel are to be deployed to Rann in the coming days.
“It is indeed an unfortunate and sad event..we continue to do our best to assist those wounded,” Mr Kallon said.
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