Global Report on Internal Displacement 2025

Regional Overviews

Sub-Saharan Africa: Spotlight - Nigeria (Part 8)
Conflict and disasters triggered new and repeated displacement in Nigeria in 2024 and prolonged the plight of people already displaced. The country was home to 3.7 million IDPs as of the end of the year, among the highest figures in sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly half were in the north-eastern state of Borno, which has been the scene of conflict and violence since 2009. 
 
Severe floods triggered 121,000 movements across the state in 2024, some of which affected people already uprooted by conflict and violence, setting back their recovery as well as the government’s ongoing durable solutions efforts. About half took place in the state capital of Maiduguri after heavy rains and structural damage caused the Alau dam to overflow in September, inundating about 40 per cent of the city. Some displacement camps were cut off for days, while new arrivals surged in others, which led to over- crowding and a rise in food insecurity and water and sanitation issues.
 
The floods took place against the back- drop of a government-led initiative to close all displacement camps in Borno by the end of 2024. Seventeen had been closed by June but some had to be reopened to host people fleeing the floods, which facilitated the provision of humanitarian aid.
 
Even after the floodwaters had receded, some IDPs had to stay in camps because they were struggling to recover their livelihoods, particularly those who had relied on agriculture and informal work to get by. Others cited insecurity as a barrier to accessing markets in their areas of origin. A rise in housing, land and property disputes was reported, including forced evictions and communal conflicts, and disaster impacts also impeded IDPs’ efforts to bring their situation to a sustainable end.
 
The number of displacements triggered by conflict and violence in Borno has fallen significantly over the past decade, but around 40,000 movements were still reported in 2024. Many took place in areas already hosting IDPs, some of whom were subjected to violence and kidnapping. Shelter conditions were also inadequate, putting others at risk of onward movement as a result of floods.

​Policy and operational progress towards solutions 
Events in Borno in 2024 illustrate how the overlapping impacts of conflict and disasters can impede progress towards resolving displacement. To tackle these challenges, the state government has produced the Borno State Strategy for Durable Solutions to Internal Displacement 2025-2027 that outlines key priorities and interventions to address the short and long-term needs of IDPs and host communities.
 
The strategy, which is aligned with the 2021 National Policy on Internally Displaced Persons, covers sustainable returns, disaster management and economic development, and includes plans to expand Maiduguri’s housing and public infrastructure to facilitate local integration. It also acknowledges the need to tackle the underlying causes of conflict through education, economic opportunities and transitional justice programmes.

​Similar initiatives took place in neighbouring Adamawa and Yobe states, which produced action plans on solutions to internal displacement last year. The plans, which are also keeping with international standards and the Kampala Convention, are intended to facilitate IDPs’ safe return and reintegration by harnessing the role of development investments. At the federal level, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs is also developing a National Action Plan and a Standard Operating Procedure on Durable Solutions. 
 
These policies and initiatives represent an essential first step in resolving one of Africa’s largest and most protracted internal displacement situations, and they reflect the federal and state governments’ leadership and political will in trying to do so. The production of sound evidence will be vital to inform their implementation. 
 
Some progress has been made in this area. The National Emergency Management Agency and its state-level counterparts worked with IOM and the Red Cross last year to conduct joint data collection on the impacts of floods across the capital and 34 of the country’s 36 states. The exercise provided insights into the needs, vulnerabilities and intentions of those affected, which will enable a more coordinated response. Discussions are also ongoing regarding the creation of a disaster loss and damage database, which will allow sustained collaboration for data collection and harmonisation.
 
Global Report on Internal Displacement 2025. Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Norwegian Refugee Council. Geneva, Switzerland.