Thousands fleeing from Boko Haram- UNHCR

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has said thousands of people are still fleeing from Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria into Niger.

At a press briefing on Friday in Geneva, the spokesman for the UN refugee agency, William Spindler, said on October 2 alone, about 2, 200 people fled to Gueskhar, a village in the North-East located two kilometres from the border with Niger after an attack by Boko Haram insurgents.

The refugees, he said, crossed the Kamadougou River, which marks the border between the two countries, by boat arriving Guesseré village on the Niger bank.

“They told us that they had fled after insurgents asked them to join their ranks or be killed. According to the refugees, the insurgents set fire to government buildings and forced the Nigerian security forces to leave the village.

“As insurgent groups intensify their campaign of rebellion and terrors in Nigeria’s north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, Nigerian refugees have been fleeing across the border into northern Cameroon, Niger and Chad. In the last two months, the number of new arrivals has increased significantly,” Spindler said.

According to him, since May 2013, when a state of emergency was declared in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, over 100,000 people have crossed to Niger.

These, he said, included both Nigerians fleeing across the border and citizens of Niger obliged to return to their home country. Both groups are said to have dispersed among the local population and are receiving community-based protection and assistance.

The UNHCR added that the refugees in Guesseré were sleeping under trees in the village school yard, while others were accommodated with host families or found refuge in other villages where they have relatives.

“This is the second time this year that the population of Gueskhar has sought refuge in Guesseré. After a similar incident in January, the entire village population crossed into Niger but later returned home,” he stated.

Also, another village, Bosso, located 100 kilometres from Diffa town, and close to Lake Chad, has since the beginning of October witnessed an influx of thousands of people, mainly from the villages of Malam Fatouri, Metele and Kangarwa in Borno State, the UN agency noted.

UNCHR added, “In total, more than 62,000 people have found refuge in the Diffa region of Niger since the beginning of 2014, according to our partner, the International Rescue Committee. This population is spread over more than 140 towns, villages and islands on Lake Chad.”

The Boko Haram crisis is also affecting Cameroon which is now hosting about 44,000 Nigerian refugees, with 15,335 in the Minawao camp.

Source: Punch