CARE is present in Niger, Chad, and Cameroon (West Africa)
Situation: The conflict in northern Nigeria represents a tremendous regional humanitarian crisis. Conflict in the oil-rich Niger River Delta arose in the early 1990s over tensions between foreign oil corporations and minority ethnic groups. Violence erupted in 2002 when armed opposition groups in northeastern Nigeria surged against the Nigerian government.
In 2012 violence erupted in northern Nigeria and spread into Northern Cameroon, Eastern Niger and Chad leading to massive population displacement including refugees and internally displaced persons (IDP’s). According to the UNHCR, as of June 2016, some 1.8 million people within Nigeria have been displaced while some 186,000 Nigerian refugees had fled to Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Hundreds of thousands more are displaced within the three neighbouring countries. In the Bosso IDP camp, where CARE Niger works, many people live without shelter or access to adequate water, food and nutrition. Vulnerable populations continue to face protection risks with the number of children used by militants increasing tenfold between 2014 and 2015. Many women and girls fleeing violence report sexual and gender-based violence.