Over 5,000 flee homes in recent Borno attacks

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says recent attacks in Borno have forced more than 5,000 residents of Ngoshe, Gwoza, to flee their homes.

MSF Field Communication Officer, Abdulkareem Yakubu, disclosed this in a statement, warning 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 displacement cycles 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 MSF continued supporting 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 urged humanitarian organisations and international donors to scale up support urgently.

He stressed the need for sustained funding to ensure access to life-saving healthcare and essential services for vulnerable populations.

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

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

“People urgently need food and better access to water, sanitation and hygiene services,” Mahmoudoune said.

“While MSF is responding, needs are overwhelming. One organisation cannot meet them alone. Other humanitarian actors must act immediately,” he added.