The Tale of Shuwari IDP Camp: A Decade of Resilience amidst Boko Haram Insurgency

The Tale of Shuwari IDP Camp: A Decade of Resilience amidst Boko Haram Insurgency

Story by Kasim Isa Mohammed and Ademola Adebayo

For over a decade now, Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps have dotted the vast landscape of North East Nigeria. They housed thousands of people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency that ravaged the once-peaceful region.

 

Borno State, adjudged the hotbed of insurgency was synonymous with a large number of these safe havens. For close to a decade, the occupants of these camps had arrived from different communities, but their stories were similar: their villages, lands and livelihoods had been pillaged and plundered by heartless extremists.

On the outskirts of Borno state and not more than 3km from Maiduguri is Shuwari. Located along the popular Kano-Maiduguri road, the Shuwari community was about 15km from the capital city in the past. But with the speedy development of Maiduguri Township, the suburb has almost become the heart of the mega capital city.

Shuwari camp has served as a refuge for hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) since the onset of the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State a decade ago. Despite the support offered by NGOs, the narratives emerging from this camp are deeply concerning, revealing the enduring hardships faced by its inhabitants.

James Amos, originally from Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, currently resides at the Shuwari Displacement and Coordination Center (DCC) camp. His countenance reflects the anguish emanating from Boko Haram’s insurgency, which claimed many of his family members and forced him out of his ancestral home in 2012.

James recounts a life marked by hardship despite intermittent assistance from NGOs. He struggles daily to provide for himself and his family, embodying the broader theme of resilience among Shuwari’s IDPs.  “You don’t need someone to tell you that life has dealt us a cruel hand as IDPs in this camp. What greater testimony can we offer than the stark reality that we find ourselves reduced to a state worse than beggars within these camp walls?” James laments.

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Rafkatu Philibus shares a similar distress. While her children attend school, she sometimes goes for days without a meal due to the absence of government support. “We are left with no choice but to contemplate returning to our communities, even if they remain unsafe. Dying here from hunger is a fate we’d rather avoid. We lack everything, from food to water.”

Emmanuel Dawa, equally distressed by the hardships in the camp, grapples with severe depression as he struggles to provide for his three children. “We endure immense suffering, and I am currently unemployed. Unfortunately, we are not receiving sufficient support from the government. Some NGOs, such as Action Against Hunger, occasionally assist us.”

“As I am telling you, we don’t have any medical facility here with us. We have to transport anyone who falls sick to Mala Kachallah Hospital, even if it is in the middle of the night. We urgently need help, especially considering the current economic downturn in the country,” Dawa said.

“Many of our children are unable to attend school, which deeply concerns me. Now that peace has been restored to most parts of the state, we earnestly implore the government to facilitate our return to our ancestral homes.”

Also, a significant portion of Shuwari’s displaced persons have resorted to low-paying income-generating activities to sustain themselves, even after camp assistance ends. These activities range from selling firewood to crafting handmade hats, engaging in daily wage labour, or trading food items and fruits.

Unfortunately, their daily earnings often fall short of meeting basic needs once camp assistance ceases. There is an urgent need for relevant authorities, including NGOs and governmental organizations, to extend their assistance to the Shuwari DCC camp, as its IDPs continue to endure immense suffering.

This report is produced by Neptune Prime with support from the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) under the Collaborative Media Engagement for Development Inclusivity and Accountability Project (CMEDIA) funded by the MacArthur Foundation.