The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has released a report highlighting the dire humanitarian situation in the Sahel region, which includes Nigeria, Chad and five other African countries.
The report estimates that humanitarian partners will need $4.7 billion to assist 20.9 million vulnerable people in the region.
The Sahel region is facing a complex web of crises, including instability, security threats, and the effects of climate change, which have left 32.8 million people affected.
The OCHA is urging the international community to provide generous funding to ensure that humanitarian response plans can be implemented fully by the end of the year.
In Nigeria, the UN is targeting 4.4 million people with humanitarian assistance, requiring $926.5 million in funding. The agency notes that 7.9 million people in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states are in need of assistance, with 2.2 million children deprived of their right to education due to school closures.
The report highlights the growing violence and conflict in the region, which has forced families to flee their homes and prevented access to basic social services. The OCHA is warning that lives are at risk unless humanitarians are given the resources needed to respond to these crises and support the region's most vulnerable people.
The UN chief, Charles Bernimolin, emphasized the importance of adequate resources in addressing the humanitarian crisis, stating that the lack of resources remains a major challenge.
He expressed confidence in the international partners' ability to intervene and urged them to continue engaging with the region to create durable solutions that will reduce humanitarian needs in the future.
