Nearly 64,000 Nigerians flee to Niger, UNHCR says
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Business Day (South Africa)
Nearly 64,000 people have left northern Nigeria for Niger since the start of the year, fleeing attacks by Islamist groups and armed gangs. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says the influx is straining Niger’s already limited resources, which already host more than 500,000 refugees.
Nearly 64,000 Nigerians have fled northern Nigeria for Niger since the start of the year, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The agency attributes this departure to attacks by armed Islamist groups and criminal gangs, which add to humanitarian needs in one of the poorest countries in the world.
UNHCR said on Tuesday that this influx is putting pressure on already limited resources. Niger hosts more than 500,000 refugees and asylum seekers, including around 327,500 Nigerians. More than 23,000 people, over two-thirds of them children, have arrived since January in the Diffa region alone. Several hundred Nigerians have also found refuge in Benin.
According to UNHCR spokesperson Dominique Hyde, many families live in makeshift shelters, and women often walk several kilometres a day to fetch water. Only 5% of refugees who arrived in Niger this year are officially registered, which often deprives them of the documents needed to access aid and public services. The agency is seeking $11.4 million to strengthen its response in Niger, Nigeria and Benin, and warns that thousands of displaced families could be left without basic assistance without additional funding.
