Worsening attacks by Islamist insurgents and criminal gangs have forced close to 64,000 Nigerians to seek refuge in neighbouring Niger Republic since early 2026, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
In a statement released on Tuesday, November 10, the UN agency cautioned that the fresh arrivals are straining resources in Niger, a nation currently sheltering over half a million displaced persons, roughly 327,500 of whom are Nigerians. Meanwhile, persistent unrest in northern Nigeria has also driven several hundred citizens across the border into Benin Republic.
Dominique Hyde, UNHCR’s Director of External Relations, noted that the bulk of the new refugees have settled in Niger’s Diffa and Tahoua border regions. Diffa alone has absorbed over 23,000 arrivals this year, with children accounting for more than two-thirds of that figure.
Living in improvised shelters, displaced families face acute shortages of food, healthcare, and potable water, triggering spikes in malnutrition and respiratory illnesses. Compounding the crisis, UNHCR revealed that roughly 95 per cent of this year’s arrivals remain undocumented, cutting them off from vital relief and public services.
Although the agency praised Nigerien authorities and local communities for providing land for temporary housing, it urgently appealed for $11.4 million, including $2 million for immediate life-saving aid, to sustain operations across Niger, Nigeria, and Benin.