Nearly 64,000 Nigerians fled violence to Niger since the start of the year

UNHCR warns of a worsening crisis in the Diffa region, where more than 23,000 refugees have arrived, two-thirds of them children, and requests $11.4 million to expand its response.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said nearly 64,000 people had crossed from northern Nigeria into Niger since the start of the year, fleeing attacks by armed groups and gangs. The agency warned of an expanding humanitarian emergency in Niger, Nigeria and Benin.

Dominique Hyde, UNHCR's director of external relations, said during a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday that thousands of new arrivals, many of them children, were struggling to survive amid limited access to food, clean water, shelter and essential services, as humanitarian resources decline sharply.

Diffa under pressure

Most of those fleeing have settled in the border regions of Diffa and Tahoua. More than 23,000 people have arrived in Diffa alone since the start of the year, over two-thirds of them children. UNHCR said many families were living in temporary shelters, while women walk for kilometers each day to fetch water. Aid agencies have also recorded rising levels of malnutrition and respiratory infections.

Cash assistance distributed to women in Diffa, Niger (UNHCR Niger)

Only about 5% of the refugees who arrived in Niger this year have been officially registered, leaving many without the documents needed to access aid and public services. Hyde said more than 70% of the security incidents recorded in Niger this year occurred in the Diffa region.

Funding appeal

Niger is already hosting more than half a million refugees and asylum seekers, including around 327,500 Nigerians. Several hundred Nigerians have also sought refuge in neighboring Benin. UNHCR is seeking $11.4 million, including $2 million for urgent, lifesaving assistance covering water, food, shelter, health care and protection.