In 2016, I traveled to northeast Nigeria. I was picked up by an armed vehicle because of security in Abuja and then we flew to Maiduguri, the capital of the northeast, Borno State. Security felt strange and threatening. For the first time, I felt truly unsecure because I didn’t know where the threat was coming from. In South Sudan, Syria and other places, you knew the armed groups, the front lines, even the generals who were leading these groups. I heard Boko Haram used children and nationals were telling me dont trust anyone. Dont have a casual conversation and tell anyone which way you are going home and which hotel you stay. Every conversation on the streets, every visit to a restaurant or shop was threatened by a potential attack. The people affected by the crisis were perceived as enemies, as supporters of Boko Haram. It was difficult to be humanitarian in that context. I saw as I saw in so many other places, people would be stuck for years in those camps, babies born and thats all they knew. It happens so often. 2,4 million remain displaced since 2014 – 6 years on.
