Title
Niger: Swimming for her life
Title
Niger: Swimming for her lifeBody
On 23 November, the town of Damassack in northern Nigeria was attacked by the militant group Boko Haram. Thirteen-year-old Hadja Chetima Gambo was at school at the time. In the ensuing panic, the school emptied as everyone scrambled to find a safe place to hide.
Hadja realized she would not be able to make it home without being found by the fighters. So she followed the waves of people heading towards the border with neighbouring Niger.
Tens of thousands of people fled the attack on Damassack, seeking refuge in the Diffa region of north-east Niger. But the journey was dangerous. Just before she reached the safety of Niger, Hadja had to cross the Komandougou river.
“I was saved because I knew how to swim,” she remembers. “Around me there were people desperately trying to cross over, but who drowned because they did not know how to.”
Safe but alone
“When I arrived here in Niger, I felt safe. But without my parents I feel alone,” Hadja said.
When she finally reached the border, Hadja and her fellow refugees were greeted by the Nigerien military. They were put on trucks and taken to a camp in Gagamari. It was on this truck that she caught her first piece of luck since the attack.
“On the truck, I met a woman who is our neighbour back in Damassack. She became my guardian.''
Hadja has heard nothing of her parents since she had to flee. But she is keeping her hopes up. ''Yesterday, a friend of mine who was forced to flee like me found her mother here. This makes me optimistic.''
More aid is needed
IOM distributed 88 tents among the first arrivals at the Gagamari site. Each tent was designed to accommodate nine people – most now sleep 30 or more. The Government of Niger also provided 100 temporary shelters, but there are now more than 13,000 people at the site.
“The first night, I slept in the courtyard of the house belonging to the local village chief with my guardian and others,” says Hadja. “But the next day, we got a tent where I now sleep alongside 30 people, including my guardian and her children.''
As well as shelter, the people of Gagamari desperately need more food, health care, water, access to hygiene and sanitation, and access to education and protection services. In recognition of these needs, on 10 December, Niger’s Prime Minister launched an appeal for national and international solidarity.
More frequent attacks mean more displacement
Boko Haram attacks on towns and villages in north-east Nigeria have increased in recent months. As a result, since November, the number of people crossing the border to seek refuge in the Diffa region has increased dramatically. According to preliminary Government figures, there are more than 87,000 displaced people living in 104 temporary sites across Diffa. This includes more than 45,000 children.
Many of these children, like Hadja, have been separated from their families. They are especially vulnerable. Humanitarian groups are establishing mechanisms to identify them and make sure they are supported and protected. Once identified and registered, they are supported by local authorities and child-protection organizations, assisting them while actively searching for their family.
"Children are always the most vulnerable in emergency situations,” says Viviane Van Steirteghem, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Niger. “They may be victims of violence, exploitation, disease and negligence.
“The situation is particularly difficult in Diffa where displaced people are settled on many sites, some of which are difficult to access.”
UNICEF is running a roaming psychosocial support project in four of Diffa’s departments, as well as on 10 islands on Lake Chad. This project is benefiting nearly 15,000 children.
“There is an urgent need to strengthen the volume of assistance for displaced people in Diffa to preserve their dignity and to prevent them becoming even more vulnerable,” says Dieudonné Bamouni, the OCHA Niger Head of Office.
SUBSCRIBE
