Conflict Dynamics Among Internally Displaced Persons and Host Community in Jere LGA Jul. 2023
According to the OCHA Humanitarian Needs Overview 2023, 71% of the estimated 1.15 million IDPs who reside in out-of-camp settings in northeast Nigeria are located in Borno State. Camp closures since 2021 and the secondary displacement of relocated IDPs to host communities in Maiduguri LGA and Jere LGA have contributed to a rise in the IDP population in Borno State.
Maiduguri and Jere are considered more secure than other population centers in Borno State, one reason why a majority of IDPs in the state have settled in both locations – Jere LGA currently has the highest OCHA stability score in Borno State (86/100). Nevertheless, competition over increasingly scarce water, arable land, and other resources has strained relations between IDPs and host communities in both locations, in addition to other LGAs across Borno State.
According to a report on social dynamics between IDPs and host communities in Jere LGA conducted by NAT in 2022, relationships and prospects for integration can be negatively affected by competition over shared resources, particularly in cases of overwhelming resource demand as IDP populations grow and concentrate around host communities.
This report attempts to identify patterns and drivers of conflicts between IDPs and host communities, preferred conflict resolution methods, and other challenges and dangers facing IDPs and host communities. We hope this report’s findings can be used to better understand and contextualize IDP-host community conflict dynamics and develop dynamic methods of resolving such conflicts.
