Renewed violence mostly by Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria has forced more than 140,000 people to flee their homes this year, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said on Friday.

The violent activity “has sparked an upsurge in forced displacement in Borno, with more than 140,000 people forced to move this year alone,” Stephane Dujarric said. “Many farmers have missed multiple planting seasons and more than 3 million people are food insecure.”

The United Nations and its partners have supported the humanitarian response in northeast Nigeria since the beginning of the crisis, the spokesman said, adding that in 2019 alone, they have so far provided critical and lifesaving assistance to more than 3.8 million people.

However, Dujarric said that more than 7 million people currently need humanitarian assistance in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock has been visiting Borno, reviewing the humanitarian situation in the region of devastated communities suffering from 10 years of violence by Boko Haram and other “non-state armed groups.”

Boko Haram is known for its agenda to maintain a virtual caliphate in the most populous African country.