BillyGraham Abel, Yola
The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Myrta Kaulard, has condemned the twin suicide attacks on June 16 in the town of Damboa, Borno State.
The attacks has reportedly left dozens of people dead and scores injured in one of the deadliest attacks the town had witnessed.
UN humanitarian coordinator said attacks in the area had continued to pose a major challenge in the community which hosts a significant number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in need of assistance.
This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen, on Monday.
“Our deepest condolences go to the families of the victims in Damboa and to the Government and people of Nigeria. We wish the injured a speedy recovery.
“Civilians consistently bear the brunt of the conflict and over 200 women, children and men have now been killed in indiscriminate attacks in the north-east since the beginning of the year, including in the town of Mubi last month in Adamawa State. I urge the Government of Nigeria to further step up protection of people.”, said Ms. Kaulard.
Kaulard said, “The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross yesterday air-lifted by helicopter 11 of the critically wounded from Damboa to Maiduguri to facilitate emergency medical treatment, in support of the state authorities.
“Damboa town lies about 90 kilometers south-west of Borno capital Maiduguri. The Local Government Authority of Damboa currently hosts over 90,000 internally displaced people, 18,000 of which live in Damboa town in five camps for internally displaced people.
“The LGA is one of the areas in Borno that hosts the highest number of internally displaced people.
“Some 20 humanitarian organisations provide life-saving assistance to the vulnerable women, children and men in Damboa, including food, shelter, medical services, clean water and sanitation on a daily basis.
“Humanitarian access outside of Damboa town in the rest of Damboa Local Government Area remains limited due to ongoing hostilities and lack of safety assurances.”
The humanitarian crisis in Nigeria’s North East that had spilled over into the Lake Chad region is one of the most severe in the world today, with 7.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in 2018 in the worst-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, and 6.1 million targeted for humanitarian assistance.