Fear of Boko Haram is the beginning of the wisdom! Thousands of civilians fled their homes in the
southeastern Niger town of Diffa this week, officials said on Thursday,
following waves of cross-border raids and suicide bombings by Nigerian militant
group Boko Haram.
Attacks in Niger are deepening a humanitarian crisis ,the
International Rescue Committee, which supplied the population , struggling to
feed some 150,000 people who have run to escape violence in northern Nigeria,
has seen around 7,000 arrive this week in Zinder, Niger's second biggest town
some 450 km (280 miles) west of Diffa.
Matias Meier, country director, said some families in
Zinder, one of the poorest regions in Niger, were having to host 20 people,
while other displaced were sleeping in the stadium.
A local politician said "Everyone
wants to get as far from Boko Haram as possible," the politician said,
asking not to be named.
The IRC's Meier said: "Those who went on the trucks
are the lucky ones. Bus tickets are sold out until the end of next week. Many
are just walking or going by bicycle."
Boko Haram's insurgency has killed thousands in
northeastern Nigeria. Regional armies are mobilizing a joint force of 8,700 men
to defeat the group that is increasingly threatening neighboring countries.
Niger's army, backed by
Chadian forces deployed to the country, has fought several battles sparked by
raids in the Diffa region by militants this week.
"We have taken the steps necessary to guarantee the
peace and security of the population. We call on people not to panic,"
said Colonel Moustapha Michel Ledru, spokesman for Niger's armed forces.
The new wave of displacement
comes as farmers should be preparing to plant crops for the next harvest,
highlighting the long-term impact of the violence.
"People should be
planting now but they are on the move," Meier said.
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