Since the start of 2026, almost 64,000 Nigerians have crossed the border into Niger to escape escalating violence from Islamist militants and armed criminal gangs, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a briefing on Tuesday, 10 November 2026.
UNHCR estimates that about 327,500 Nigerians are already seeking refuge in Niger, while several hundred more have fled to neighbouring Benin. Niger is already hosting more than 500,000 refugees and asylum‑seekers, and the new influx is deepening an existing humanitarian and protection crisis.
Most of the newly arrived Nigerians have settled in the border regions of Diffa in southeastern Niger and Tahoua in the west. In October alone, roughly 1,200 crossed into Diffa and 3,400 into Tahoua. Since the beginning of the year, more than 23,000 people – over two‑thirds of them children – have arrived in Diffa.
UNHCR warned that many displaced families are living in makeshift shelters without adequate food, clean drinking water, healthcare or other essential services. Women are forced to walk several kilometres each day to fetch water, and humanitarian organisations have reported rising cases of malnutrition, respiratory infections and poor sanitation among the new arrivals.
Only about five per cent of those who arrived in Niger this year have been formally registered, the agency said, making it difficult for thousands of refugees to access humanitarian assistance and public services. The situation is further complicated by insecurity and climate‑related challenges in Diffa, where more than 70 per cent of the country’s reported security incidents this year have occurred.
UNHCR acknowledged the support of Niger’s authorities and host communities, including the allocation of land for temporary shelters. The agency is appealing for $11.4 million to expand its humanitarian response in Niger, Nigeria and Benin, with $2 million earmarked for immediate critical interventions covering food, water, shelter, healthcare, refugee registration and protection.
UNHCR warned that without additional funding, thousands of vulnerable families fleeing violence could be left without essential humanitarian assistance.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
