Thousands of people who fled violence in Nigeria, have fled fighting on the islands of Lake Chad in Niger. Tens of thousands have arrived in towns next to Lake Chad in Niger while several thousands are returning to Borno state in their home country.  Around 1200 refugees have returned so far to Nigeria, and a total of 4000 are expected. Most of them are women, elderly men and children. 25% of the returnees are under five years old.

On May 9th the Nigeria State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) of Borno state set up a camp for these returnees. MSF has set up a health point in the camp to provide medical consultations, including consultations for pregnant women and screening and treating malnutrition in children under five years old. In collaboration with SEMA, MSF is also setting up water tanks and water distribution points in the camp. The amount of water will be increased in accordance to the population size. MSF is likewise providing assistance to refugees from Nigeria who have stayed in Niger.

In Nigeria, MSF is also increasing its activities in Borno state to provide assistance to the growing number of people displaced by violence in Nigeria. This includes providing health care services, shelter, water and sanitation systems. Our teams have set up a 72 bed hospitalization unit in Maimusari health centre in Maiduguri town, the capital of Borno state, to provide health services to 100,0000 people, most of whom were displaced by fighting.