The United States has announced about $112m in additional humanitarian assistance to help people in Nigeria and neighboring countries in the Lake Chad region affected by the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency.
In a statement from the USAID media relations office on Friday, U.S. said the latest humanitarian assistance has brought its donation to the region in the last one year to $761m.
Nearly a decade-long conflict perpetuated by Boko Haram and its offshoot ISIS-West Africa has triggered a humanitarian crisis in the region,prompting the response from the U.S.
More than two million people remain displaced by the violence, and nearly 11 million people need assistance to survive, the statement noted.
“The funding in today’s announcement will provide life-saving aid to hundreds of thousands of people, including emergency food, nutrition treatment, shelter, health care, safe drinking water, services for survivors of sexual violence, and support to children separated from their families,” it added.
The latest donation also confirmed United States status as the largest donor for the humanitarian response in the Lake Chad region as financial and military assistance are concerned.
However, the U.S. said aids alon can not guarantee a lasting solution to the problem, saying “while we remain committed to helping the people affected by this conflict, a comprehensive political and security solution is ultimately the only way to end their suffering and bring peace to the region.”
The country,therefore, called on other donors to “step up to address the basic life-saving needs of those displaced and the communities that host them.”
It is recalled that Boko Haram has now resorted to kidnapping of school kids and bombing of soft targets,after it’s Sambisa forest base has been captured by the government’s troops and it’s population has been decimated.
The military has also announced recently that the terror organisation and its splinter groups have been technically defeated.
