Nearly 64,000 Nigerians have fled to neighbouring Niger Republic since the beginning of 2026 to escape attacks by Islamist militants and armed gangs, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said.
UNHCR spokesperson, Dominique Hyde, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday, adding that several hundred Nigerians had also reportedly fled to Benin Republic amid worsening insecurity.
Hyde said the influx was putting pressure on Niger’s resources, as the country already hosts more than 500,000 refugees and asylum-seekers.
She added that at least 327,500 Nigerians were seeking refuge in the neighbouring country.
“Thousands of newly arrived refugees, many of them children, are struggling to survive with limited access to food, clean water, shelter and essential services, as humanitarian resources fall critically short,” the statement said.
According to Hyde, most of the new arrivals have settled in the border regions of Diffa and Tahoua.
More than 23,000 people, over two-thirds of them children, have arrived in Diffa alone since the beginning of 2026, Reuters reported.
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The UNHCR spokesperson said many displaced families were living in makeshift shelters, while women often walked several kilometres daily to fetch water.
She added that aid agencies had reported increasing cases of malnutrition, respiratory infections and poor sanitation among the new arrivals.
Hyde also raised concerns over the protection of refugees, noting that only about five per cent of those who arrived in Niger this year had been formally registered, leaving many without the documentation required to access humanitarian assistance and public services.
She said insecurity and climate-related pressures were worsening humanitarian needs, adding that more than 70 per cent of Niger’s reported security incidents this year occurred in the Diffa region.
The UNHCR is seeking $11.4m to expand its humanitarian response in Niger, Nigeria and Benin, warning that thousands of displaced families could be left without basic assistance unless additional funding is secured.
