Nearly 64,000 flee Nigeria for Niger where a humanitarian crisis is deepening

Nearly 64,000 people have arrived in Niger fleeing violence in northern Nigeria since the beginning of the year.

Violence in northern Nigeria is fueling a growing humanitarian crisis across the whole region: 64,000 have fled to neighbouring Niger and several hundred have left for Benin since the start of the year, as host countries struggle to cope, the UN’s refugee agency ( UNHCR ) said on Tuesday.

Northern Nigeria has been experiencing multiple, overlapping security crises involving jihadist insurgencies, armed banditry, and farmer-herder conflicts, forcing millions from their homes over the past 25 years.

Most this year have fled to Niger, which is already struggling with insecurity, climate shocks and overstretched services.

Before the start of 2026, the landlocked West African nation was already hosting more than half a million refugees and asylum-seekers, including some 327,500 from Nigeria , alongside large numbers of internally displaced (IDPs).

In October alone, around 1,200 people crossed into Diffa, in south-eastern Niger, and another 3,400 into Tahoua, in the west, both bordering Nigeria.

Conditions are particularly dire in Diffa, which has accounted for more than 70 per cent of Niger’s reported security incidents this year , including armed attacks and violence against civilians.

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