Visiting Rann, a remote town in Borno state, Plan International Nigeria’s Communications Officer, Nubwa Bawuro Ibrahim found a community still struggling under the chokehold of 15 years of conflict in northeast Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad region.
Some 170 kilometres from the state capital of Maiduguri, Rann is one of many communities that have been ravaged by Boko Haram insurgents since the start of the conflict in 2009, leaving thousands dead and displacing millions from their homes.
According to UNICEF, since the start of the conflict, more than 20,000 people have been killed, more than 4,000 people abducted and 1.7 million remain displaced, most of them in Borno State.
On 14 January 2019, Rann was overrun by Boko Haram insurgents amid a general increase of attacks in the area bringing death and destruction, and forcing many inhabitants to flee across the border to the village of Bodo in neighbouring Cameroon.
Today, Rann is a place of desolation, isolation, and hardship. The realities of life in this border community are stark. Here, cars are a distant dream, replaced by the slow gait of donkeys and the tireless pedalling of bicycles, invoking memories of a bygone era.
Reaching Rann is not easy, travelling by helicopter is the only safe means of transport. The helicopter took off from Maiduguri at 11:15am, three hours later than originally scheduled due to the dusty and hazy conditions which were causing poor visibility.
This was my visit to Rann and the journey took longer than usual according to my fellow passengers who were regulars travellers on this route. The pilot had to make a number of detours due to the poor weather conditions, which kept us in the air for longer than expected.
As we approached the helipad, Rann’s desolate landscape was revealed, devoid of the characteristic bustle of a thriving community. We disembarked and ventured into the town, and the seemingly unreal situation became clear: Not a single vehicle or motorcycle in sight.
Accompanied by my colleague, Felicia, we met Musa and Babakaka, two community members who work with Plan International to implement our projects in Rann. Babakaka was my guide for the day. I asked him how we would get to our destination, he looked at me, smiled and said: “We have no car here, no tricycles. We only use donkeys.”
I took a deep breath and thought about riding on a donkey, something I have never done before even though they are found in the community I grew up in. I wondered what would happen if I were to fall and break my leg in this desolate place. Deciding against the donkeys, I went with the option of walking the long distance from the helipad to the location where the programme participants we had come to meet were waiting for us.
Setting off, the road was dusty with no respite of trees to provide shade. The determination in the eyes of my guide, Babakaka spurred me on. I checked my phone and realised there was no service; the only available mobile network was one from Cameroon. It took us 40 minutes of trekking under the hot desert sun to reach our destination.
The resilience of the Rann community, an estimated population of about 30,000 people, resonated with me through every encounter. The bustling market filled with goods from neighbouring Cameroon; the hard working determination of the mechanics mending bicycles – the fastest means of transportation here, and the eagerness in the eyes of the children to learn.
There are only two schools in Rann. One school lacks basic necessities including desks and chairs so the students have to sit on the bare floor to learn. The other school was built nine years ago but has never been used.
Despite these challenges, a beacon of hope shines in Rann. A European Commission Humanitarian Aid & Civil Protection (ECHO) funded project being implemented by Plan International is helping provide access to quality education and protection services, bringing hope for a brighter future.
11-year-old Fatima is among the children who attend the only operational school in Rann. She tells me her parents cannot afford a uniform, so she goes school in her everyday clothes. Like her, most school children lack uniforms and learning materials. This makes it hard to identify those children in school and those who are out of school.
Amid these challenges, Fatima is hopeful of a better future. “I want to become a doctor so I can treat people in my community,” she says. Even in the face of insurgency, hunger crisis, and unpredictable weather, the determination of the people of Rann to thrive remains undimmed.
Through the ECHO project, which started in December 2023, Plan International is renovating the two schools and equipping them with furniture and school supplies, as well as providing students with uniforms and learning materials, and training teachers.
Humanitarian activities are difficult to implement in Rann due to the inaccessible roads which are often flooded by the release of excess water from the Lagdo Dam in Cameroon, trapping people in the town and preventing access to and from the community. The risk of attack by insurgents is also ever present.
Leaving Fatima, I make the 40-minute return walk back to the helipad with a sweet-bitter feeling.
As I fly back to Maiduguri where Plan International Nigeria’s humanitarian hub in the northeast is located, the things I saw in Rann are ingrained in my mind.
What stands out the most, was the hope in the eyes of the community members, especially the school head and students I met with. Their stories of survival are interwoven with inspiring feelings of hope. Rann’s resilience is plain to see.
