Abstract
Since the end of the Cold War, the phenomenon of forced displacement gained more global attention. Forced displacement involves the involuntary movement of people from their habitual place of residence to a location within their country of nationality; or across an internationally recognised border. This situation in most cases exposes the displaced people to some vulnerabilities. Among other classes of displaced people, the most notable groups of concern are refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). In contemporary time, conflict is identified to be the primary cause of forced displacement. Since 2009, the Boko Haram insurgency and the counter-insurgency by the Nigerian security forces turned northeast Nigeria into a conflict zone. The crisis has forced more than 2 million people to flee for safety within Nigeria as internally displaced persons (IDPs); while many crossed the border into countries neighbouring Nigeria from the Lake Chad region as refugees. This paper explored and discussed the suffering of the people internally displaced by Boko Haram conflict from the framework of forced displacement. It is found that, the IDPs in Nigeria suffered from multifaceted problems, ranging from the issues of inadequate life-saving assistance, protection related crisis, and the unclear prospect of achieving durable solutions. Moreover, the lack of a clear national policy, institutional, and legal frameworks in addressing internal displacement in Nigeria is found to be the prime cause of the intensification of the plight of IDPs. Thus, it is recommended that, there should be a legally backed national policy on IDPs, which should include punitive measures for corrupt humanitarian officers. Also, provision should be made for effective coordination among national humanitarian agencies. Lastly, a clear rule of engagement between the Government and the international humanitarian agencies should be clearly defined.
Highlights
Nigeria is mainly divided along ethnoreligious lines
The objective of this paper is to explore and discuss the suffering of the people internally displaced by Boko Haram conflict from the framework of forced displacement; and make policy recommendation that could subdue the situation
4.3 The Issue of Durable Solutions. Another issue of concern is that the security forces are gaining ground against the Boko Haram insurgents; but still, the internally displaced persons (IDPs) expressed fear to return to their ravaged communities, as there is no assurance for safety, no clear and sustainable strategy for durable solutions in place for them
Summary
Nigeria is mainly divided along ethnoreligious lines. The northern part of the country is primarily dominated by Muslims who are mostly Hausa or Fulani tribes and some other minority tribes. Boko Haram was founded by Muhammad Yusuf in Maiduguri of Borno state. The tenets of Boko Haramism are derived from the mainstream radical Islamist ideological narratives, to which Yusuf is inclined. Boko Haram ideology was based on the principles of rejecting Western education, condemnation of secularism and westernisation, and the incompatibility of Islam with democracy (Raineri & Martini, 2017). Boko Haram has interacted with some groups outside Nigeria. It is evident in the interaction of Boko Haram with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), and Ansar Dine. In 2105, the leader of Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS). The strategic objectives of these attacks are to cast distrust of the Government in the minds of the people by making them feel vulnerable and unprotected by the Government (Regens, Mould, Vernon, & Montgomery, 2016)
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