Chaos in the UN red roof over Kala-Balge tragedy

THERE  is an uneasiness within the humanitarian community in the capital of Borno state following the directive by the Secretary General Anthony Guterres suspending United Nations (UN) operation in Rann, Kala Balge temporarily.

The suspension was as a result of the attack and killing of some UN staff including a medical doctor Anthony Onyedikachi who until his death was a field based consultant working with the UNICEF in the endangered local council area of the state.

As the UN meditate over their future in the north east region of the country which has generated litanies of woes from the various brushes they have had with insurgents, a memorial service has been fixed for the 12th of March to honour their staff who have paid the supreme sacrifice.

It is in that service that a full role call of those who have gone to the great beyond will be listed coupled with those who have been abducted for daring to serve the same humanity.

UN sources say they have been monitoring developments within the lake Chad region in the interim to ensure that no harm befalls any staff since this is not the first time that boko haram insurgents has attacked their staff causing casualties.

The UN almost suspended activities in the entire state about a year ago when their convoy was attacked and two soldiers and three civilians were wounded when insurgents numbering about fifty, armed with anti aircraft weapons tried to grab them on their way to Bama.

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Governor Kashim Shettima had to personally apologise and gave assurances on behalf of the government and people of the state before they agreed to continue rendering their services but vowed never to travel by road again.

UN staff continued to travel by air from one point to another and sometimes escaping fire from insurgents from the ground since the military does not have enough personnel to cover the entire state including the three troubled local government areas along the lake Chad Basin.

Country representative, Edward Kallon however called on the national emergency management agency NEMA and the state emergency mangement agency SEMA to step in for now and take care of humanitarian activities while they are reviewing the security situation in the besieged local government area of Kala-Balge.

Meanwhile the accidental fire disaster in Mafa which gutted an estimated 300 makeshift Shelters in the IDP Camp B, Mafa had subsided leaving about a thousand idps homeless.

As of time reporting, the source of the fire was still unknown but aid workers told newsmen that it may have come from flying hot ash infiltrated with charcoal from fire wood used by one of the households to cook.

Humanitarian workers said that “no life was lost, while shelters, food and non food items belonging to an estimated 1000 individuals were completely destroyed.”

One aid worker told the Nigerian tribune on phone that it was a great tragedy for IDPs who had lost everything to insurgency to suffer another loss to fire disaster.a