Over 1,000 Nigerians Flee To Niger Republic over Boko Haram Killings
Over 1,000 Nigerians have fled to neighbouring Niger Republic after an attack blamed on Islamist militant group Boko Haram, led to death of six people, the United Nations said Thursday.
The 1,042 refugees reports say crossed the northern border into the Niger region of Diffa after the November 30 attack. They have been taken in by families in two villages near the regional capital, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a bulletin.
A teacher in the village while confirming the attack to local media said the attackers told villagers they were looking for “politicians” and “coldly killed” six people, including a police officer, after the victims were unable to recite verses of the Koran.
A source say Niger’s army has deployed reinforcements along its border with Nigeria, a focus of worry for Nigerien authorities who have often assured they are taking measures to stop Boko Haram’s activities from
spilling over into Niger.
Violence linked to the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria a country roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and a predominantly Christian south is believed to have left some 3,000 people dead there since 2009, including killings by the security forces.
No comments