𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗼 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗠𝗦𝗙 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘀

Kehinde Adegoke | Agency Report

Maiduguri: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has raised urgent concerns over a worsening humanitarian emergency in Borno State, where brutal attacks have forced thousands to flee their homes. 

According to MSF, more than 5,000 people have been displaced in recent days, underscoring the escalating toll of violence on already vulnerable communities.

According to MSF, the recent attacks in Borno have forced residents of Ngoshe, Gwoza, to flee their homes.

MSF Field Communication Officer, Abdulkareem Yakubu, disclosed this in a statement, warning that the violence has deepened an already fragile humanitarian situation.

He said the displacement followed brutal attacks on March 3, which reportedly left several people dead and others abducted.

“Survivors fled with little warning,” Yakubu said, adding they sought refuge about 15 kilometres away in Pulka under harsh conditions.

“Many displaced, mainly women, children and the elderly, arrived with little or nothing.

“With no formal shelters, families sleep in open spaces and along roadsides, exposed to harsh weather and insecurity,” Yakubu said.

“Access to essential services is critically limited, with food shortages, unsafe water and poor sanitation raising fears of disease outbreaks,” Yakubu said.

MSF launched a four-week emergency response on April 10 to support the newly displaced population.

“So far, more than 900 families have received items including cooking utensils, mats, mosquito nets, jerrycans and buckets,” he said.

Yakubu added that 884 dignity kits containing hygiene supplies had been distributed to those most in need.

He said MSF had begun rehabilitating sanitation facilities and was supplying about 16,000 litres of safe drinking water daily.

“Health teams are running hygiene campaigns to curb disease spread, but the response remains far from adequate,” he said.

Yakubu said Gwoza had long faced conflict, with repeated cycles of displacement and chronic humanitarian needs.

“Health facilities are overstretched, while dwindling funding hampers relief efforts.

“Funding gaps and declining assistance across Borno are placing critical healthcare services at risk,” he added.

He noted that MSF continued to support Gwoza General Hospital with emergency care and referrals.

“It also works with the Ministry of Health on maternal and newborn care in Kushari, and runs nutrition programmes in Maiduguri,” he said.

Yakubu said MSF had urged humanitarian organisations and international donors to urgently scale up support.

He stressed that without sustained and increased funding, access to life-saving healthcare and essential services for vulnerable populations is at severe risk. Immediate support is critical to avert further disaster.

A displaced resident, Safiya Mohammed-Aga, said: “Our homes were bombed and our belongings destroyed. We fled with almost nothing, sometimes without clothes.”

MSF emergency coordinator, Abdoulaye Mahmoudoune, warned that urgent needs persist.

“People urgently need food, clean water, proper sanitation, and hygiene services. They also require shelter, medical assistance, and protection from violence,” Mahmoudoune aid.said.

“While MSF is responding to these critical needs, they are overwhelming. No single organisation can meet the urgent demand for shelter, food, water, and healthcare alone. Other humanitarian actors must act immediately,” he added.