The Humanitarian Crisis Caused By The Boko Haram Insurgency

In a span of seven years, Boko Haram has become one of the most ruthless militant groups of this generation with authorities even suggesting that the group is deadlier than Islamic State militant group (ISIS). Its insurgency has reached far and wide in Western Africa. From the epicenter of the uprising in Borno State, Nigeria, the group has attacked and occupied some parts of Chad, Cameroon, and Niger.

And its trail of destruction has cost more than $6 billion, according to Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima. It has also been estimated, based on the numbers given by community leaders, that 100,000 people have died because of conflicts caused by Boko Haram. Another alarming statistic is that as of December 2016, more than 2 million individuals have been internally displaced, forced to live in camps or as refugees.

Image source: thenationonlineng.net

Unfortunately, even as Boko Haram continues to wreak havoc in various countries in Africa, the disaster that has led to untold loss of life and liberty in affected places is still grossly underreported. Newsweek has even claimed that it is one of the world’s forgotten humanitarian crisis.

Last February, more than 250 delegates, which included several foreign affairs leaders and a contingent from United Nations, gathered in Oslo, Norway, to discuss not just how the insurgency can be ended, but also to create a “solutions environment” for the millions of internally displaced people.

Robert Bassam is a businessman and philanthropist who, through human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe, has helped support the lives of over a dozen Nigerian girls who were rescued from Boko Haram. For more articles on charity works, head to this blog