Food aid reaches Christians in Nigeria

Food aid reaches Christians in Nigeria

BORNO, Nigeria — Food aid is beginning to reach Nigerian Christians and others displaced by Boko Haram violence in the Lake Chad Basin, World Watch Monitor (WWM) reported July 10.

WWM said food was delivered to at least 75,000 people in some of the most isolated camps in early July, citing reports from humanitarian relief organization Open Doors.

Among some 5 million internally displaced persons at risk of starving to death in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, WWM said, the most vulnerable are Christians who had been discriminated against in food distributions in favor of Muslims.

One Nigerian church official told Open Doors the discrimination began when control of refugee camps was entrusted to organizations outside the government: “The governor (Kashim Shettima) did his best when the Christians had to flee their places in 2014 and 2015. But when the care of the camps was handed over to other organizations, the discrimination started.”

In February, mainly as a result of Boko Haram violence, the UN estimated about 10.7 million people needed immediate humanitarian assistance in the region. (BP)