Red Cross concerned over scale of Boko Haram crisis
The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) has voiced concern over the severe humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram terror group in Nigeria, stressing the need for extra funding to support the victims.
Speaking in the Nigerian capital of Abuja during his first official visit to the African country on Thursday, ICRC President Peter Maurer voiced alarm over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the areas riddled with Boko Haram terror activities, describing it as “one of the most serious crises” in the continent.
Pointing to the immense consequences of the terrorists operations carried out by the extremist group, Maurer went on to say that what he has seen is just “a tip of the ice berg.”
The ICRC chief also slammed international aid agencies for failing to adopt practical measures to tackle the crisis in Nigeria, adding, “I’m critical with regards to those humanitarian actors who talk a lot [yet] who do not deliver on the ground.”
He made the comments following his visit to Nigerian cities of Maiduguri and Yola, located at the epicenter of militant clashes in northern parts of the country.
In a separate statement, the ICRC official highlighted the plight of those living in the troubled Nigerian cities and said, “Whole communities have fled their villages and endured unimaginable suffering...They need support far beyond what the ICRC can provide, yet in many hard-hit places we find ourselves alone.”
According to him, sexual violence is another major problem in the militant-controlled areas, where girls and women kidnapped by Boko Haram members are sexually assaulted.
ICRC has allocated a budget of $117 million to operations in areas including the Boko Haram-raided regions of northern Nigeria as well as neighboring parts in Cameroon, Chad and Niger -- altogether the Lake Chad area. This makes the region in question the third largest on ICRC’s list of troubled regions in need of dire aid, slotting in right after Syria and Sudan.
Since 2009, the violence fueled by Boko Haram Takfiris has so far killed more than 15,000 since 2009 and uprooted some 1.5 million others from their homes.
Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have been directly affected by the growing threat of Boko Haram in recent months.
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