Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
The United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Edward Kallon, has expressed concern over aid delivery interruptions to 76,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Rann of Borno state. Rann; a border community with Cameroon and 172 kilometres Northeast of Maiduguri; the state capital; was attacked by a non-state armed group on January 14, 2019. Kallon in a statement released Friday in Maiduguri; by UN agency’s Head of Communication, Samantha Newport said: “The interruption in the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Rann is the direct result of an attack. According to Kallon, the attack commenced at dusk on a military base, and continued into the next day, January 15, 2019. He said at the time of the attack about 76,000 IDPs were living in Rann. On how aid deliveries were interrupted, he said: “A medical clinic, warehouses with humanitarian supplies and accommodation for aid workers were looted and/or destroyed in the attack,” adding that market and shelters in the camp were also torched by insurgents. Continuing, he added: “Several civilian fatalities have also been reported, although the total number is not yet known.” He further disclosed that thousands people fled to Cameroon for safety and shelter. He said besides the displacement, 14 aid workers, who were in Rann during the attack and able to hide, were also withdrawn and airlift by a helicopter to Maiduguri. “Currently; Rann is inaccessible to international humanitarian organisations both by road and by air,” he said. He said the frequent increase in attacks on Rann, are having a devastating impact on the civilians by taking refuge in this isolated town. “The frequent attacks are severely affecting our ability to deliver life-saving aid to women, men and children in need,” lamented Kallon. He said the attacks have spread fears among an already vulnerable population, including the targeted humanitarian assets. He said that in addition to attacks in Rann, there were clashes in Kukawa and Monguno councils in Borno that forced over 43,000 people to flee their homes since November last year. Kallon added that over 32,000 IDPs are taking refuge in Maiduguri metropolis. According to him, IDPs are converging on already congested camps or sites for displaced people, forcing hundreds of individuals to sleep in overcrowded shelters or outside. He therefore; urged the Nigerian government to protect civilians, including aid workers in the northeast.
