Communal conflicts in Nigeria: Assessment of the impacts on internally displaced persons and settlements amidst COVID-19 pandemic.

Autor: Anierobi CM; Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of the Environmental Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria., Obasi CO; Department of Religion and Cultural Studies/ Social Sciences Unit, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria., Nnamani RG; Department of Political Science/ Social Sciences Unit, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria., Ajah BO; Directorate of Research Innovation Consultancy and Extensions, Main Campus, Kampala International University, P.O. Box, 20000, Kampala, Uganda.; Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria., Iloma DO; Department of Sociology/Criminology and Security Studies, Topfaith University, Mkpatak, Nigeria., Efobi KO; Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of the Environmental Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria., Nwaoga C; Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria., Ngozi A; Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria., Okonkwo UT; Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria., Innocent Chigbe E; Department of Geography and Environmental Sciences, University of Calabar, Nigeria.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Heliyon [Heliyon] 2024 Apr 25; Vol. 10 (9), pp. e30200. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Apr 25 (Print Publication: 2024).
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30200
Abstrakt: Acknowledging that violent communal conflicts can lead to increased displacement and overcrowding in IDP camps, this study investigates the impact of such conflicts on internally displaced persons (IDPs) and their camps in Benue State, Nigeria, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing a mixed-method approach, 386 IDPs and 20 stakeholders were purposively selected. Based on the research objectives, descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze the research objectives. Employing logistics and multi-linear regressions, the data reveal that unregulated access to IDP camps resulted in overcrowding, straining resources like food and shelter. The study identifies economic losses and various challenges stemming from communal conflict and COVID-19, causing chaos, anxiety, and uncertainty in the IDP camps. These findings highlight the urgent need for ongoing humanitarian assistance to alleviate the precarious conditions faced by IDPs and their camps nationwide and recommend that the IDPs camps across the country need constant humanitarian aid to mitigate the various precarious conditions in the camps.
Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE