Improved protection of relief personnel and effectiveness of humanitarian action - Northeast Nigeria

The security situation in North-East Nigeria has continued to deteriorate over the past three years. This has resulted in an increasingly challenging environment for humanitarian actors. The Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) have consistently expanded, while developing an increasingly hostile discourse and practice targeting humanitarian organisations. The Nigerian Army have in the meantime progressively retrenched to fewer positions, maintaining a primarily static posture in a reduced number of locations (“garrison towns”). In 2021, ISWAP dislodged Government forces from at least three major garrison towns hosting humanitarian hubs and humanitarian air connections - in Dikwa, Damasak and Rann - inflicting humanitarian casualties in all these locations and carrying out systematic searches of humanitarian workers on at least two of them.

Since May 2021, conflict dynamics have undergone significant shifts, with increased internal instability within non-state armed groups (NSAGs) and fighting between them, which further increased the volatility and unpredictability of the security situation. Hence, delivering aid to vulnerable populations, and safe and secured access to people in need of humanitarian assistance outside of Maiduguri and a few garrison towns remains an important challenge.

Expected results:  

• Information, Analysis and Advice – Credible, reliable and high-quality safety information, analysis and advice is provided collectively to humanitarian organizations in a timely and appropriate manner
• Preparedness & Response – Humanitarian organisations are supported in their own preparedness, security and crisis management capacity

Results from previous phases:  

• Improved situational awareness and emergency preparedness and response for 62 INGOs, 8 UN Agencies, 7 donors, ICRC, IFRC. This was, amongst others, achieved through regular reports and alerts on security incidents and trends, and security meetings
• Improved organisational prepardness and response for NGOs through Basic and Advanced Security Management Courses and NGO crises management courses
• A satisfaction survey done by INSO indicated that 95% of responded beneficiaries felt that INSO services help them plan, operate and deliver aid more safely

UN Agencies, such as OCHA and UNDSS through the Saving Lives Together Framework, Cluster mechanisms (Access and CM-Coord) and CM-Coord Forum

Local authorities: Security-related ministries

Phase 4 01.03.2022 - 31.07.2024   (Active)