UN aid tents at the IDP Camp Maiduguri Borno State Nigeria. Image by Ifeatu Nnaobi from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
There is a growing number of IDPs — internally displaced persons who have not crossed an international border to seek safety — around the world due to conflicts, violence, environmental disasters, and the negative impacts of the climate crisis. By the end of 2020, there were 50 million IDPs in 149 countries. More than half of these IDPs are in Sub-Saharan Africa, and about 56 percent are children.
Over 15 years since the adoption of the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention), a landmark treaty to address internal displacement in Africa, in 2009, the number of people living in internal displacement on the continent has tripled to 31.7 million.
Borno, Nigeria, once known by its traditional nickname “The Home of Peace” has been racked by violence and conflict since 2009. According to a 2023 report by the Federal Protection Cluster, 62 formal and 158 informal internal displacement camps hosted over 874,000 IDPs across the 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Borno State, Nigeria. In December 2024, a directive from the Borno State governor ordered the closure of all official IDP camps in the state, claiming they had successfully containmened the armed insurgency. Human rights groups criticized the move, with Amnesty International issuing a statement saying, “Returning displaced persons forcibly to villages that are not safe would be in violation of the Nigerian government’s responsibility of protecting the right to life of civilians. ”
The Gubio Camp
The Gubio Camp, located about 16 kilometers (9.94 miles) outside Maiduguri town in Borno State, was formally opened in May 2015 to receive Nigerian refugees returning from the Niger Republic, after fleeing the country due to the Boko Haram Insurgency. According to Relief Web, more than 80 percent of the 2,500 IDPs who arrived at the camp in 2018 were women and children in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
By 2020, the population of the camp had risen to about 6,091 households of approximately 29,769 individuals.
Global Voices visited the Gubio camp on January 31, 2025. While most of the displaced persons had returned to their homes following the government’s official closure of the camp, some who had nowhere to go remained.
In an interview with Global Voices, Rufai, a resident of the camp, revealed that those who remained had been displaced by the devastating floods that hit Nigeria in 2024.
On September 10, the Alau Dam which impounds a major reservoir on a tributary of Lake Chad collapsed, causing severe flooding in Borno State. The disaster submerged 70 percent of Maiduguri city and led to the death of at least 150 people, displacing 419,000 others.
In Gubio camp, the whispers of hunger are palpable among the remaining survivors. Malam Nasiru, a knife sharpener, described the struggle for food among those living in the camp.
We used to have a kitchen where we were fed twice a day, but that no longer happens. We were given rice in the morning and evening every day. But on three occasions, they prepared Tuwo and Miyar Kuka (dried baobab leaves) for us. Our meals were usually served without meat or fish.
Reflecting on the struggles of daily survival in the camp, Malam Nasiru added:
They stopped feeding us two months ago. So, to survive in this camp since our feeding has been stopped, I sharpen knives for people. People here find a way to feed themselves.
Malnutrition among adolescent girls in displaced camps
Caught in the crossfire of these displacements and systemic neglect are young adolescents, especially girls. For these girls, hunger is more than an empty stomach; it’s a deprivation of essential nutrients they need to grow, thrive, and even dream.
Global Voices interviewed 16-year-old Ahmad, a displaced teenager from Marte Local Government Area (LGA) in Gamboru Ngala, who shed light on the realities of survival in the camp. Ahmad was initially displaced due to the Boko Haram insurgency and lived in a camp in Madinatu. However, the 2024 floods forced him to relocate once again.
This interview by Global Voices’ Adesewa Olofinko was conducted in the presence of a guardian to ensure a safe and supportive environment.
Adesewa Olofinko (AO): How do you survive in the camp?
Ahmad (A): The government has stopped feeding us, so we have to find ways to feed ourselves. We go into the bush to cut trees and sell the wood to make a living. Others go to nearby villages to work as farmhands, pounding millet for 500 naira (USD 0.33) per day, and we get to take some millet home.
The common economic tactic referenced above, tree felling, is a global environmental challenge which worsens deforestation and undermines efforts to combat climate change in Northeast Nigeria.
Hadiza, 15, used to live in a displacement camp in Kukawa Local Government Area (LGA) before her family relocated to Maiduguri. In a phone interview with Global Voices, Hadiza, who spent three years in displacement camps speaks on the nutritional deficiencies in foods served at displacement camps.
(AO): What was food like in the camp?
Hadiza: In the camp, we ate what was given to us. Sometimes, it’s only rice for weeks and then beans. It’s very rationed. We don’t see milk, fish, or fruits.
According to Nutrition International, such nutrient-poor diets lead to decreased school performance, loss of productivity and leave young people vulnerable to long-term health issues.
The scope of the problem
In 2024, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that floods across Nigeria destroyed food crops capable of feeding up to 8.5 million people. These factors among many others, such as food diversion, limit food availability in displacement camps to staples like rice and maize, which fail to meet the diverse dietary needs of adolescents.
Malnutrition prevalence in children at IDP camps can become as high as 52 percent often resulting in stunting, delayed mental development, and reduced intellectual capacity — trapping such children in a circle of poverty.
Beyond stunting, micronutrient deficiencies pose another critical challenge. Anaemia, for instance, affects 47.3 percent of women and girls (aged 15–49) in Nigeria, further exacerbating health vulnerabilities.
These nutritional gaps widen gender inequalities and undermine Aspiration 6 of the African Union Agenda 2063, which envisions a future where young people are empowered and gender equality is achieved in all areas of life.
In 2012, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Nigeria mandated the fortification of large-scale food items.
According to NAFDAC, enriching staples like flour, cooking oil, and salt with essential nutrients such as iron, iodine, and vitamin A can significantly reduce micronutrient deficiencies. However, implementation in displacement camps is far-fetched.
The role of international organizations
Global actors like UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) play a crucial role in improving adolescent nutrition in IDP camps. However, sustainable solutions require more than immediate or temporary food aids. Experts suggests that integrating adolescent nutrition into broader humanitarian strategies could yield significant results.
In countries like Senegal, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, organizations such as Nutrition International works with adolescents in the design, implementation, and evaluation of projects, and supports adolescent girls to be empowered advocates for their own health and nutrition.
Overlooking adolescent malnutrition sends a dangerous message: that nutrition does not matter — when in reality, the future depends on it. Globally, adolescent malnutrition is not just a health crisis — it is a humanitarian failure. With proper nutrition, young people, whether in displacement camps or food-secure homes, have the potential to grow into the changemakers of tomorrow.
This article was produced as part of the African Union Media Fellowship with support from Nutritional International.
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