Nearly 64,000 Flee Nigeria for Niger: UNHCR Seeks Urgent Support for Refugee Families

UNHCR is working with national authorities, UN agencies and humanitarian partners to respond to immediate needs across the affected communities.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning of a deepening humanitarian and protection emergency affecting Niger, Nigeria and Benin as violence forces families to leave their homes. Nearly 64,000 people fleeing northern Nigeria have reached Niger since the beginning of the year, increasing pressure on communities and services struggling to meet existing needs. Niger already hosts more than half a million refugees and asylum-seekers, including around 327,500 Nigerians, and supports people displaced within its own borders.

Several hundred Nigerians have sought refuge in neighbouring Benin, showing how the consequences of insecurity are reaching across a wider area. These arrivals remain smaller than those recorded in Niger, and their journeys reflect the increasing distances families are travelling to find safety. Most people entering Niger have settled in Diffa in the southeast and Tahoua in the west, two regions bordering Nigeria where insecurity, climate shocks and overstretched services complicate the response.

Around 1,200 people crossed into Diffa and another 3,400 entered Tahoua in October alone as violence continued to drive displacement. Diffa has received more than 23,000 people since the beginning of the year, with children accounting for over two-thirds of those arrivals. Thousands of newly arrived refugees face shortages of food, clean water, shelter and essential services, with humanitarian resources falling critically short of what families need.

Families struggle to find water, healthcare and schooling

Makeshift shelters in Diffa provide little protection from the weather, leaving families exposed as they try to establish some stability after fleeing. Refugee women describe walking several kilometres to collect water, and families at locations without nearby health facilities or schools struggle to meet basic needs. Humanitarian partners report high levels of malnutrition, poor hygiene and widespread respiratory infections, with severe funding shortages limiting their ability to respond.

Only around 5 per cent of Nigerian refugees arriving this year have been registered, following the recent start of registration after delays caused by limited resources. Missing documentation creates further barriers to assistance and essential services, increasing protection risks for people who have already endured displacement. Children coming from Nigeria's English-language-based education system face additional difficulties continuing their studies, particularly at locations without schools or transitional classes.

Violence and drought put host communities under pressure

Diffa has accounted for more than 70 per cent of Niger's reported security incidents since the beginning of the year, including armed attacks and violence against civilians. Drought and irregular rainfall during the 2026 rainy season have severely damaged agricultural production and pastureland, weakening livelihoods across the region. Grain production is expected to fall short of needs in around 700 of the area's 1,000 villages, reducing the resources available to communities receiving refugees.

An estimated 70 per cent of pasture has been lost, placing further strain on livelihoods in communities where resources are already stretched. Niger's authorities and host communities continue to support arriving families, including by making land available for temporary shelters. Their capacity to accommodate growing numbers of refugees is coming under increasing pressure, creating an urgent need for greater international assistance.

UNHCR seeks $11.4 million for emergency support and lasting solutions

UNHCR is working with national authorities, UN agencies and humanitarian partners to respond to immediate needs across the affected communities. Expanding assistance requires stronger coordination and additional operational partners to address critical shortages in water, food, shelter, healthcare, registration and protection. Investment in livelihoods and longer-term solutions is needed to help refugees and host communities build more stable futures.

The agency is seeking $11.4 million for its emergency and solutions response in Niger, Nigeria and Benin, including $2 million for immediate critical needs. That immediate funding would support water, food, shelter, healthcare, registration and protection, addressing gaps that leave displaced families struggling to obtain essential assistance. UNHCR is urging the international community to provide resources urgently and invest in sustainable futures, warning that thousands of vulnerable families risk going without assistance and protection as displacement continues.