Insurgency: United Nations confirms 350,000 deaths in Nigeria

The United Nations Develop Programme (UNDP) has confirmed that about 350,000 persons have so far been killed in insurgency related conflicts in North-Eastern part of Nigeria as at the time of filing this report.

Penpushing reports that, this was contained in the latest report of the United Nations Develop Programme (UNDP),which explained that, the  insurgency directly resulted to the death of 35,000 people in three states in the region, while an estimated 314,000 people died “from indirect causes” in the entire North-east region.

The United Nations Develop Programme (UNDP)  Resident Representative, Mohamed Yahya in a statement showed that as at June 24, 2021 national data  showed that conflict has directly resulted in the deaths of 35,000 people in  Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states as a result of battle or one-sided violence since 2009.

“The report estimates that through the end of 2020, the conflict in the North-East will have resulted in nearly 350,000 deaths, with 314,000 of those from indirect causes’,Yahya, said in a statement.

Penpushing further reports that, Yahya in the  report titled, Assessing the Impact of Conflict on Development in North-East Nigeria’’ disclosed that  the major highlights have it that  findings showed that “for each casualty caused directly by insurgency, an additional nine people, primarily children, have lost their lives due to a lack of food and resources.

The update has it that  more than 90 per cent of conflict-attributable deaths are of children under the age of five,adding that critical aspect of progress and development, including Gross Domestic Product (GDP), poverty, malnutrition, infant mortality, education, water availability and sanitation, might not return to pre-conflict levels in the region even by 2030.

Penpushing also reports that, the report pointed out  that the economic destruction brought by the insurgency has dismantled already fragile health and food systems with less than 60 per cent of health facilities in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states.

“Without continued investment in development as a long-term solution, the protracted conflict in North-east Nigeria will continue to impact other parts of the country and the entire Sahel region,” the statement said said.

Penpushing reports that, the report noted  that for every year that conflict continues, infants and children are the most impacted ,with about 170 children under five years die daily, adding that by 2030, it is estimated to grow by 240.

The report added that  women and children make up 80 per cent of the displaced population in the North-East and have limited options for work and survival, including difficulties accessing resources.

Penpushing further reports that, findings from the report in 2020  estimates that 1.8 million students were out of school who would have been enrolled if not for conflict, stressing that  by 2030, in the conflict scenario’ the average Nigerian in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states will have had a full year 20 per cent)of education less than expected in the No-Conflict scenario.

The report said as of 2019, 81 per cent of people living in Yobe, 64 per cent in Borno, and 60 per cent in Adamawa suffer from multidimensional poverty, a measure that accounts for deprivation with respect to standards of living, health, and education.

Penpushing also reports that, the  report findings suggested  that to overcome the conflict, development efforts need to be focused on the stabilisation of affected areas through a community-level approach that enhances physical security and access to justice, rehabilitation of essential infrastructure and basic service delivery as well as the revitalisation of the local economy such as market stalls, schools and police stations.

“There is a need for international partners and national stakeholders to ensure that funds are invested not only on life-saving and humanitarian needs but also mid-and long-term development priorities in order to enable Nigeria to achieve the SDGs and attain the AU 2063”,the report emphasised.

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