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A vendor in Baga, Borno State, arranges fish on her
stall ©Pius Utomi Ekpei (AFP)
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The
raging Boko Haram insurgency in northeast Nigeria has hit the region's fishing
industry, causing shortages and driving up prices, union leaders say.
The
major city of Maiduguri has been particularly affected, as the authorities in
neighbouring Niger have detained huge consignments of smoked fish on security
grounds.
For
over a week, more than 200 vehicles loaded with the fish and destined for the
capital of Borno state have been held outside the Nigerien border town of
Diffa, pending searches.
The
head of the fishermen's union in Borno, Abubakar Gamandi, said the city and the
wider northern region was now facing an "unprecedented shortage" of
fish, AFP reports.
"The
fish supply to Maiduguri has been disrupted and prices have soared," he
added.
A
carton of smoked fish in the city now sells for 15,000 naira (US$79, 65 euros)
against 9,000 naira previously. We
have no problem with the consignments being screened but for 10 days now none
of these vehicles has been searched, they are just kept there," Gamandi
said.
The
vehicles are carrying fish worth 1.12 billion naira (five million euros, US$5.6
million), which traders in the beleaguered city bought by pooling their
depleted capital.
"Our
traders have suffered so much financial setback as a result of the Boko Haram
insurgency, and if they lose these consignments which are their lifeline the
economic effect will be catastrophic," Gamandi said.
An
official of the drivers' union in Diffa confirmed that more than 200 vehicles
were lying outside the city.
"It
is only the vehicles with the fish that are being detained, but passenger
vehicles are allowed passage after screening," the official said, asking
not to be named.
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Supply route cut off -
Diffa
has in recent weeks been hit by a spate of suicide bombings and cross-border
raids by Boko Haram in response to Niger's decision to deploy troops against
the militants.
The
government in Niamey earlier this month imposed a 15-day state of emergency in
the Diffa region, leading to increased security.
Borno
state once prided itself as a major fishing hub, sourcing produce from Lake
Chad, where the borders of Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon meet. But
the Boko Haram conflict, which began in 2009, has disrupted fishing on the
Nigerian side of the lake, especially in the towns of Baga and Marte. Boko
Haram fighters captured Baga in a devastating raid on January 3, killing
hundreds, if not more, and forcing thousands of others to flee, many of them
fishermen.
Nigeria's
military said Saturday that troops had regained control of the town.
The
years of violence -- and the risk of being forcibly conscripted into the Boko
Haram ranks -- has forced thousands of fishermen to abandon their trade.
Many
turned to importing fish from Chad and Niger, whose shores were not affected by
the insurgency. But the fall of Baga cut off the traders' supply route.
Suleiman
Alagarno, a trader at Maiduguri's Gamboru fish market, said there were fears
that the consignment currently stuck in Diffa will be destroyed if it is not
released.
"It
is sealed in cartons and loaded in vehicles with no ventilation," he said,
adding that the risk of running out of fish in the coming days was high.
The
effect of the shortage is being felt across the wider north of Nigeria.
Shehu
Aliyu is a fish dealer in the ancient town of Hadejia in northern Jigawa state,
350 kilometres (220 miles) away and relies on Maiduguri for supplies.
"I
came to Maiduguri to find out what the situation is because supplies to Hadejia
have stalled and the demand is so high," he said. "Customers
have been bothering me about why I no longer supply them with fish and I'm here
in Maiduguri to see how I can get some fish no matter the quantity to make them
happy."
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