ZAMFARA
Nigeria is facing an upsurge of violent conflict in different parts of the country. Since 2018, Zamfara state in the northwest has seen a drastic deterioration in security, with armed criminals engaging in brutal attacks on local villages. The violence has forced thousands of people from all over Zamfara to flee their homes and take shelter in the few safe places left. They report harrowing violence, including stories of extortion, kidnapping and killings. With farms burned, crops destroyed and the constant risk of new attacks, the displaced people are unable to return to their villages to plant or harvest crops. We are expecting to see an increase in malnutrition amongst children in the region after harvest season. In the town of Anka, MSF runs a 135-bed paediatric ward at Anka general hospital, mainly treating children for malnutrition and malaria. Our teams are also running mobile clinics and constructing shelters and latrines in seven settlements in or around Anka where some 3,300 displaced people are sheltering. In other areas of the state, large numbers of displaced people are in desperate need of aid, but the insecurity prevents aid workers from reaching them. The humanitarian situation in Zamfara state is likely to deteriorate further if the needs of the thousands of displaced people are not addressed.


BENUE
In the Nigerian state of Benue, farming communities and herding communities used to live together in relative peace, with only occasional quarrels over land for farming and grazing. But in the past decade, shrinking resources have led to these communities become increasingly antagonistic, with disputes often turning violent. Since January 2018, violent disputes have become more frequent, with armed attacks on many villages and houses looted and burned. People forced to flee their homes tell stories of extreme violence, including killings. Thousands of people have settled in safer areas, according to Benue state government. Ongoing violence prevents them from returning home and attending to their farms and crops. Many are staying in abandoned buildings and struggle to get enough to eat. Their poor living conditions put them at risk of health problems such as respiratory tract infections, malaria and scabies. MSF provides medical support to roughly 8,100 displaced people in four official settlements around Benue state. In one of these settlements – Mbawa camp – MSF teams are also providing clean drinking water and building latrines, showers and hundreds of shelters. Many other displaced people are being hosted by local communities. As they are not officially registered as displaced, they receive no aid from the state. With no end to the violent conflict in sight, our teams expect to see more displacement and increasing food insecurity in Benue state.