Boko Haram: Where to next?

With approximately 1.9 million people displaced and 200,000 refugees in Nigeria, the search for a permanent home continues. Tough decisions are part of an impossible dilemma regarding fight or flight as Boko Haram continues to radicalize the nation with its acts of terror. It is unimaginable to fully comprehend a situation as such, unless we put ourselves in the shoes of the displaced who are seeking asylum. Would you be able to live with the physical and emotional scars dealt by an extremist organization? After surviving heinous crimes like indoctrination, kidnapping, rape and starvation, the search for asylum now troubles these survivors and is dependent upon neighbouring nations. Cameroon, just south-east of Nigeria, has sent back 100,000 asylum seekers due to the Boko Haram insurgency. Returning refugees are forced to encounter the very thing they were fleeing from: violence, eviction, and penury. In Niger and Chad, just north of Nigeria, the constant struggle for food and water is a hindrance to the hosting of refugees as the local population wrestles with a poverty of its own. However, the safety of refugees is relatively maintained. While malnourishment might not be the top priority over safety, it is also a factor essential for the long-term survival of a people. Cameroon, Niger and Chad have had difficulties coping with the inflow of refugees as these developing countries are ill equipped to provide the necessary care required by the displaced people. Although the UN continues to do its part in supporting Nigeria’s neighbours cope with the influx of refugees, the world must be called to action. If the world fails to respond, Boko Haram will continue to grow before our very eyes.

StartFragment Farzin Bakhtiar is a second year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto. Her interest in global affairs played an immense role while picking her majors which are International Relations and Political Science. Alongside Borderless, Farzin is also a member of the U of T Model United Nations Society. EndFragment

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