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Humanitarian needs in northeast Nigeria increase during the protracted lean season

  • Key Message Update
  • Nigeria
  • July 2018
Humanitarian needs in northeast Nigeria increase during the protracted lean season

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  • Key Messages
  • Key Messages
    • Humanitarian actors have reached over 2.1 million people with food assistance in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states during the ongoing lean season. Households in the northeast impacted by the conflict continue to depend on humanitarian assistance for food access and are facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3!), while others who are unable to access assistance are facing Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes. There are areas that remain inaccessible to humanitarian actors, and outcomes are likely similar or worse than in adjoining accessible areas.

    • Preliminary results from the fifth round nutrition survey covering Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa indicate that there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of acute malnutrition (WHZ) in all domains in Borno state since the harvest period. IOM has reported an increase in population movement with over 7,000 new arrivals and almost 1,300 returnees registered between July 10 and 17, 2018. Similarly, 258 arrivals from Cameroon and 99 from Niger were recorded within the same period.

    • Staple food prices remain elevated across the country at the start of the lean season in July. However, this is slightly tempered by the favorable growing season leading to reduced trader speculation. National inflation also dropped nominally to 11.23 percent in June from 11.61 percent the previous month.

    • Outside the northeast, most poor households are engaged in normal livelihood activities including agricultural labor work, the sale of livestock and firewood, and generally typical levels of market purchase to access food as others, particularly in central and southern states, consume own production from early harvests. As such, much of the country is facing Minimal (IPC Phase 1) acute food insecurity. However, households affected by farmer/pastoralists conflict in the central states and cattle rustling activities in the northwest are facing Stressed (IPC Phase 2) outcomes.

    This Key Message Update provides a high-level analysis of current acute food insecurity conditions and any changes to FEWS NET's latest projection of acute food insecurity outcomes in the specified geography. Learn more here.

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