UN commences assessment of IDPs in North-East

UN Special Representative of the Secretary- General for West Africa, Mr. Mohammed Chambas, said on Thursday that the UN had commenced assessment of the humanitarian situation of internally displaced persons in North- Eastern Nigeria. Chambas told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in West Africa on Humanitarian Affairs had recently visited the area for the assessment. He said, “The UN is already supporting many Nigerians who are today refugees in different parts of the North East Zone and neighbouring communities. “With this assessment of the humanitarian situation in the North-East, the UN can now work with federal authorities and begin to address the consequences of Boko Haram’s activities on these persons. “After the assessment, we also can begin to think of embarking on a long term development of the affected communities.” The UN Special Envoy restated the UN’s readiness to continue to work with the different emergency management agencies in Nigeria, in providing more humanitarian support for the affected persons. Chambas also said that it was imperative for the governments of Cameroon, Niger, Chad and other neighbouring countries, to work closely with the Nigerian government in ending the activities of Boko Haram. He said that the UN was so far impressed with the support being provided by the Multi-National Joint Task Force in fighting terrorism in the region. “The UN is happy that countries appreciate the need to deploy significant troops dedicated to fighting Boko Haram in Nigeria and across the region. “We believe that with this effective collaboration from these contributing countries, we can begin to see significant gains against Boko Haram,” he added.