By Adedapo Adesanya
The decision of the Borno State to shut down its camps for people displaced by the Boko Haram conflict has pushed over 200,000 people into deeper suffering and destitution, says Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In a new report, HRW said Borno State is harming hundreds of thousands of displaced persons already living in precarious conditions to advance a dubious agenda to wean people off humanitarian aid.
In the same breath, the group called on the state to stop closing camps until the authorities have had genuine consultations with the camp residents and other key actors and made adequate plans for them to resume their lives and livelihoods.
The 59-page report, Those Who Returned Are Suffering’: Impact of Camp Shutdowns on People Displaced by the Boko Haram Conflict in Nigeria, documents the effect of the shutdowns, which have disrupted food support for internally displaced people and compelled them to leave the camps.
The report noted that the government had not provided those removed with adequate alternatives, violating their rights to housing, food, and livelihoods.
It added that Nigerian authorities should recognize that the hasty closure of camps is sabotaging efforts to improve the lives of displaced people.
”The authorities have failed to provide adequate information or sustainable alternatives to ensure their safety and well-being. As a result, displaced people are struggling to meet their most basic needs, including food and shelter in the places which they have returned to or where they have resettled,” the report noted.
Speaking on this, Anietie Ewang, Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch and author of the report, said, “The Borno State government is harming hundreds of thousands of displaced people already living in precarious conditions to advance a dubious government development agenda to wean people off humanitarian aid.
“By forcing people from camps without creating viable alternatives for support, the government is worsening their suffering and deepening their vulnerability.”
The report showed that from May 2021 to August 2022, Borno State authorities compelled over 140,000 people to evacuate eight camps in the state capital, Maiduguri. Two other camps are also set to be closed this year, Muna Badawi and 400 Housing Estate (Gubio) Camp, housing a combined total of nearly 74,000 people.
Between April and September 2022, Human Rights Watch interviewed 22 internally displaced people, including 8 in either Dalori I or Gubio camps, as well as 14 who had left the Bakassi camp, which was shut down in November 2021. Those who left Bakassi camp sought shelter in Maiduguri or in Bama, their home community. Human Rights Watch also interviewed camp management officials, representatives of international humanitarian agencies, and United Nations officials coordinating assistance in Borno State.
Food support to the camps stopped soon after Borno State Governor Babagana Umaru Zulum announced in October 2021 that all camps in Maiduguri would be shut down by December 2021.
Although several remained open beyond that date, organizations, including the UN World Food Program, could not provide support because the slated shutdowns and funding gaps made it impossible to scale up their 2022 plans.
HRW noted that even though the Borno State Emergency Management Authority has provided some ad hoc food distribution, deliveries have been sporadic and insufficient to meet needs. It put forward that, based on its interviews, many people said they had been forced to skip meals or go for days without something substantial or nutritious to eat.
