Boko Haram attacks slowing down our operations – UNDP

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on Friday expressed worry that attacks by Boko Haram have continued to slow down its operation in northeast Nigeria where it plans to spend $4 million this year.

The UN body said it had secured donations from its development partners and planned to spend the money on humanitarian activities in the region.

Boko Haram insurgency has affected about 4.5 million people especially women and children.
UNDP’s regional coordinator and head of Maiduguri Sub-Office, Joerg Kuehnel, told journalists in Maiduguri that most areas targeted were inaccessible and unsecured because Boko Haram insurgents were still using them as hideouts.

He mentioned some of the challenges to include the “understanding of the scope of the crisis in the Lake Chad Basin, problem of poverty of the populace affected by the insurgency, delay in recognizing what really the Boko Haram crisis was on time and security challenges as most communities were inaccessible”.

Mr. Kuehnel also pointed out that the issue of coordination of the humanitarian partners under the United Nations for the various intervention programs has been a great challenge to the UNDP.
He however noted that some progress had been made on the part of governments agreeing to collaborate with humanitarian partners.


“We are on the ground in three most affected states; Yobe, Borno, and Adamawa,” said Mr. Kuehnel.