AT the end of 2023, no fewer than 457,000 internal displacements were reported in Nigeria, a report by the International Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) has revealed.
Internal displacement refers to the forced movement of people within the country they live in. This could be due to conflict, violence, development projects and climate-related disasters.
The report noted that not less than 3.4 million people in Nigeria fled their residences as of the end of the year, and about half of the incidents occurred in Borno State.
Breaking the figures down, 291,000 displacements were caused by conflict, almost double the 148,000 displacements recorded in 2022.
Meanwhile, climate-related disasters in 2023 caused 166,000 displacements, a significant drop from the 2.4 million recorded in the preceding year.
The report said, “Conflict persisted in the North-Eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, where various non-state armed groups (NSAGs) operate. The number of attacks against military and government installations in Borno fell, but clashes between NSAGs and attacks on civilians continued and, in some areas, intensified.
“Most displacements in Nigeria a decade ago were associated with armed conflict, particularly in the North-East, but nearly three-quarters of the total for 2023 was triggered by criminal and communal violence, including clashes between herders and farmers, in North-western states.”
The ICIR reported how over 7,000 people were killed in violent attacks across Nigeria within the first ten months of 2023.
Also, another report analysed how over 380 persons were kidnapped between December 1, 2023, and January 3, 2024. Some of these violent attacks by terrorist groups and bandits contribute to internal displacement within the country.
| Year | Conflict Internal Displacement | Conflict IDPs | Disaster Internal Displacement | Disaster IDPs |
| 2023 | 291,000 | 3,340,000 | 166,000 | 81,000 |
| 2022 | 148,000 | 3,646,000 | 2,437,000 | 854,000 |
| 2021 | 376,000 | 3,228,000 | 24,000 | 107,000 |
| 2020 | 169,000 | 2,730,000 | 279,000 | 143,000 |
Table showing Nigeria’s internal displacement in four years. Source: IDMC report
Global outlook
On the global scale, 75.9 million were internally displaced globally as of the end of 2023, up from 71.1 million in 2022.
The report noted that the figure continued to rise, as people forced to flee by disasters, conflict or violence joined those who had been living in displacement for years or even decades and had no clue of when the crisis would be over.
About 68.3 million people lived in internal displacement as a result of conflict and violence at the end of 2023, with countries like Sudan, Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Colombia and Yemen hosting nearly half of the world’s internally displaced people.
Also, 7.7 million people lived in internal displacement globally due to disasters at the end of 2023.
Disasters triggered 26.4 million new internal displacements, or movements, across 148 countries and territories during 2023. This is the third-highest figure in the last decade.
Subsharan Africa
At the end of 2023, the number of internal displacements in Sub-Saharan African countries had reached 19.5 million, from 16.5 million reported in 2022. The figure was about 42 per cent of the total global displaced record that year.
The top five countries where this displacement was recorded are Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.
The report said. “Conflict and violence triggered 13.5 million movements, the highest figure for the past 15 years. Sudan made up 45 per cent of this total and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) recorded the second-highest figure. Between them, they accounted for almost half of all conflict displacements worldwide.
“Disasters triggered six million displacements across the region, the second-highest figure since records began in 2008 and nearly double the average of the past decade. They were mainly the result of heavy flooding in the Horn of Africa after years of drought. Cyclone Freddy was the largest storm to hit the region, with most displacements reported in Malawi and Mozambique.”
However, conflict and disasters left 34.8 million people living in internal displacement across the region as of the end of 2023. While 32.5 million people were displaced by conflict, 2.3 million were displaced by disasters.
Kehinde Ogunyale tells stories by using data to hold power into account. You can send him a mail at jameskennyogunyale@gmail or Twitter: Prof_KennyJames | LinkedIn: Kehinde Ogunyale