Diffa: the collateral effects of Boko Haram
"When your neighbour's beard is on fire, fetch water and soak your own”, proverb in Hausa language. Before the arrival of about 2,000 families from 5 different Nigerien villages fleeing imminent attacks of Boko Haram, Boudoum had only a little over 900 households.
A melting pot of different types of migration, the town of Diffa sits within the broader Diffa region of Niger, country lowest-ranked in the United Nations' Human Development Index (HDI). Bordering Nigeria, Diffa felt strong collateral effects of the activities of the Nigerian militant Islamist group Boko Haram in February 2015, when the country has declared a 15-day state of emergency in the border region of Diffa after a spate of attacks by the group.
Since then the region has been facing increasing migration challenges. Nowadays, Diffa hosts refugees from Nigeria fleeing the violence of Boko Haram, Internally Displaced People (IDP’s) also fleeing violence and imminent attacks of the Islamic group, IDP’s because of climate change and returnees. Before, the area use to be a transit point to other migrants from West Africa trying to reach Libya and Algeria aiming to cross the Mediterranean and set foot on the old continent, Europe. However, this kind of migration flow has diminished considerably due to the insecurity of the region caused by the activities of Boko Haram.
In the Nigerien village of Boudoum the IDPs were housed at the school. Later on with the help of the Chef of the Village they could find places within the village to install themselves. “They have been here 7 months and 10 days”, an old man says. “We have a very good relationship, we have the same culture. They are welcome here,” he added. Nevertheless, the the rapid blown of of the number of people living there is being a heavy burden as water supply and sanitation system are not enough to serve a tripled population.
To contain the Islamic group, Diffa’s government has taken several measures including the militarisation of the area, since September 2015 when the Général de Division Abdou Kaza became Governor of Diffa, and the prohibition of circulation of motorbikes in the region to avoid easy access of kamikazes and gunmen to targeted areas and people. “This was an important measure of security, on another hand more than 1,000 young people have lost their jobs as they worked as moto taxi drivers. Mechanics and sellers of motorbike’s pieces were also affected,” the Governor describes.
Another measure which had its collateral effects was the banning of fishing, blocking one of the activities which nourished Boko Haram economic power, yet it also deprived the population of an important economic activity and a relevant source of food. This measures combined indeed challenged Boko Haram weakening its decentralised power. The Governor explained that this is why now people are coming back to Diffa as with the crises in 2015 a inflated number of the population fled the area.
Due to the lack of job people are more vulnerable to be recruited by Boko Haram. “They offer money and motorbikes to trick the youth to join the group. When they realise that to be part of Boko Haram it is not what they expected it is already too late,” the Chief of Police Mamane Youssoufou tells. He adds that the reintegration of people who have manage to abandon Boko Haram is not easy as in most cases family and friends do not want them back.
Furthermore, displacement is creating a new scenario in the area. Along the National Highway makeshift houses made out of plastic and seccos (sort of tressed straws) agglomerate in reinvented villages. “They stay near the highway because there they feel safer and the access for humanitarian assistance is easier,” Kaza explains. N’gourtoua is one of those settlements and it is home more than 400 households formed by IDP’s from 15 villages who fled to scape Boko Haram. “We used to do agriculture and to fish, here we can’t grow food, perhaps we can do some small commerce,” Chétima Lauvan the Chief of the Village in N’gourtoua explains. IOM has assisted the population of N’gourtoua with 350 shelters and NFI.
As N’gourtoua, other villages were created out of dust caused by the movement of polulation. Some time ago, the area where now Djalori sits was just a vast desert bordering the National Highway. But since the beginning of 2015 it became a new “home” for more than 5,000 Nigerians seeking refugee from the atrocities of Boko Haram. “We are facing a very challenging livelihood with limited resources and very often lack of water,” the Chief of the Village Boulama Issa tells.
Diffa is a small nucleus of a complex migration reality where Boko Haram and climate change play an important role on the dynamics of migration. IOM has been active in this area and has been assisting mainly providing shelter and NFI amongst other activities implemented with the support of partners.