Chad’s prime minister has appealed for international aid for thousands of Nigerian refugees who fled attacks by Islamist militant group Boko Haram across the border into the Lake Chad region.
Around 2,000 Nigerians and 500 Chadians crossed the border into Chad in recent days, joining around 1,000 Nigerians who arrived some months ago, Kalzeubet Pahimi said.
UN agencies, the Chadian Red Cross and other groups conducted an evaluation mission this week to the area where the refugees are located and distributed supplies including soap, tarpaulins, biscuits and jerry cans, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said.
“Following insurgent attacks on five villages along the frontier between Chad and Nigeria between 28 December and 30 December, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated,” UNHCR said on Thursday. It said more than 5,000 Nigerian refugees were in Chad.
The militants have been waging an insurgency to establish an Islamist state in Nigeria’s north-east for five years. The number and scale of attacks rose sharply last year, after the government imposed emergency rule in the three worst hit states.
Boko Haram has also launched cross-border attacks into Chad and Cameroon. In response, Chad’s president, Idriss Déby, has backed peace talks between Nigeria and the militants and increased border security.
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