Recovering from Boko Haram: Dikwa, Nigeria

In the “garrison” town of Dikwa, where daily life is an excruciating waiting game. Boko Haram is still active in this area in the very northeast corner of Nigeria, and the military can currently only offer safety within the town’s borders. So around 7,000 IDPs have sheltered here, receiving relative security that comes at the cost of their ability to farm and move freely, rendering them almost completely dependent on aid and able to do little more than watch and wait until peace returns enough that they can return home or otherwise rebuild. People’s ability to meet their basic needs is extremely limited, with almost no income opportunities and many risking their lives to travel to the bush to collect firewood just so they can cook food for their families.
Dikwa, Nigeria, October 2018

In the “garrison” town of Dikwa, where daily life is an excruciating waiting game. Boko Haram is still active in this area in the very northeast corner of Nigeria, and the military can currently only offer safety within the town’s borders. So around 7,000 IDPs have sheltered here, receiving relative security that comes at the cost of their ability to farm and move freely, rendering them almost completely dependent on aid and able to do little more than watch and wait until peace returns enough that they can return home or otherwise rebuild. People’s ability to meet their basic needs is extremely limited, with almost no income opportunities and many risking their lives to travel to the bush to collect firewood just so they can cook food for their families.