UN calls for more aid towards people around the Lake Chad basin

The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations for Humanitarian Affairs, Stephen O'Brien, on Friday called on the international community to further assist the populations of the Lake Chad basin, who are severely affected by a deep humanitarian crisis and violence perpetrated by the terrorist group Boko Haram.

"We have to do more for the people and the communities, not just because it is our duty but because this region is at a crossroads connecting the North Africa to the Gulf of Guinea which is rich in resources, and the whole of the Sahel region from the Atlantic to the Red Sea," said Mr O'Brien during a high-level meeting on this region organized by the United Nations Office for the coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

"This region is the scene of a displacement crisis that is evolving rapidly, with 2.3 million people who were forced to leave their homes since May 2013," said the head of the humanitarian organization, quoted by a UN press release.

A quarter of a million people fled their countries to take refuge in neighbouring countries. "Many have traveled hundreds of kilometers from Nigeria to Cameroon, Chad and Niger, in appalling conditions," he said.

Although Nigeria is the country most affected by the violence committed by Boko Haram, the other three countries of the Lake Chad basin, Niger, Cameroon and Chad, are also affected.

This crisis comes as the Lake Chad basin is one of the poorest regions in the world, repeatedly hit by droughts and floods. "About 5.5 million people do not have enough to eat, or cannot get nutritious foods."

"Cholera is a regular threat, with 37,000 cases and 760 deaths in Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria last year," said O'Brien, adding that chaos created by Boko Haram compounded a very difficult situation.