U.N Sounds Alarm Over Nigeria

 

The latest humanitarian access snapshot released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs revealed that at least 1,932 people were killed across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States between April and June 2026. The report, compiled by the Humanitarian Access Working Group using data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project and the United Nations Mine Action Service, painted a picture of a region where humanitarian workers are battling insecurity, violence, bureaucratic obstacles and harsh environmental conditions at the same time.

There was some good news hidden inside the tragedy. Explosive ordnance incidents dropped from 67 during the same period in 2025 to 60 this year while improvised explosive device incidents also fell from 65 to 54. Civilian casualties linked to explosives declined sharply from 163 to 54, a reduction of almost 67 percent. According to the report, joint military operations carried out by the Nigerian Armed Forces alongside United States forces in parts of Borno State contributed to reducing explosive related attacks. 

It also noted that many civilians simply moved around less because insecurity had become too dangerous, which reduced the number of places affected by explosives. It is a strange reality when staying indoors becomes another survival strategy.

The reduction in explosive incidents, however, came with another painful twist because the same military operations reportedly triggered retaliatory attacks by non state armed groups across Monguno, Damasak, Damboa, Bama, Konduga, Marte, Dikwa, Kukawa, Mobbar and Gwoza in Borno, Gujba in Yobe and Madagali in Adamawa, many of which had recently received relocated civilians. Health and nutrition services were suspended in Dapchi after repeated attacks while aid operations in Madagali and Chibok were temporarily halted following fresh raids. Eleven airstrikes were also carried out during the quarter, including one around Jilli Market, while several others targeted Sambisa Forest and the Mandara Mountains.

Humanitarian operations also came under attack. A truck carrying relief supplies was looted near Gubio, two aid workers were abducted in Monguno, and another truck returning from Damasak struck an improvised explosive device, leaving its driver critically injured. Flooding collapsed a bridge in Rann, fertiliser restrictions introduced to prevent bomb making disrupted farming activities, additional approval demands delayed humanitarian deliveries, and rising fuel prices linked to the wider United States, Israel and Iran conflict pushed transport costs even higher.

The report also questioned the continued closure of internally displaced persons camps and the relocation of families to communities that have repeatedly come under attack, including Logamani, Kukawa, Ngoshe and Marte. It further warned about growing tensions inside camps where members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, ex combatants and vigilante groups were reportedly accused of excessive use of force, raising fears that today's protectors could become tomorrow's security headache if left unchecked.

So while explosive incidents may have dropped on paper, nearly two thousand lives still disappeared within just three months, humanitarian workers kept dodging bullets, displaced families were sent back into danger, and aid kept getting trapped between paperwork and conflict. Sometimes the report card says there is improvement, but the people living inside the report are probably wondering where exactly it is hiding.