With the crisis entering its ninth year and showing no signs of abating despite recent efforts, 10.7 million people continue to be in urgent need of life-saving assistance across north-east Nigeria, far-north Cameroon, Western Chad and south-east Niger. Nearly 2.4 million people are displaced with fresh waves of violence and human rights abuses resulting in thousands arriving into congested sites on a weekly basis. Destruction of infrastructure and limited access to basic services due to insecurity have resulted in people having limited or no access to food, water, shelter, health, education and protection leaving them dependent on aid and in need of assistance to rebuild their communities and their ability to provide for their families.
Political attention must remain focused on the ongoing crisis in the Lake Chad Basin. Despite efforts to date, the level of acute emergency needs continues to exceed available resources. Renewed support is needed to empower affected communities as agents of their own change and build on existing coping mechanisms. In order to bend the vulnerability curve and bring communities on to the path of sustainable development, community led resilience and development-orientated activities need to be scaled up in parallel to urgent life-saving assistance.