Nigeria: UN suspends aid work in Rann March 3 /update 1

Event

The UN announced on Saturday, March 3, that aid work in the northeastern town of Rann (Borno state) will be temporarily suspended for one week. A UN spokesperson said that 52 aid workers and medical supplies were evacuated from the area following a suspected Boko Haram attack on Friday, March 2, that left three workers and eight soldiers dead. Initial reports indicate that the humanitarian workers were not the target of the attack, but were caught up in the assault against military forces. As of March 3, three aid workers are still missing, who may have been abducted.

Context

The northeastern region of Nigeria is highly susceptible to attacks by Boko Haram, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) in March 2015 and formally adopted the name of Islamic State in West Africa. While Nigerian military forces advanced against Boko Haram insurgents last year and pushed them out of much of their previously claimed territory, attacks by the insurgent group have again been on the rise since June 2017.

Advice

The security environment in Nigeria is complex and particularly poor in the northeast and extreme south of the country due to the presence of armed groups, high crime rates, and the risk of kidnapping. Some Western governments consequently advise against travel to certain areas of the northeast (e.g. states of Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, and Jigawa as well as parts of Kano and Adamawa states) and the southern Niger Delta region (e.g. states of Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers). Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to travel to these areas.