Nearly 64,000 flee Nigeria for Niger amid deepening humanitarian crisis

Violence in northern Nigeria is driving a growing humanitarian crisis across the region, with 64,000 people fleeing to neighboring Niger and several hundred more crossing into Benin since the start of the year, according to a press release issued on Tuesday by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). Host countries are struggling to cope with the influx, the agency said on November 10, 2026. Niger, already contending with insecurity and climate shocks, is receiving the majority of those displaced. The crisis is placing additional strain on overstretched services in the subregion. UNHCR is urging the international community to urgently scale up assistance.

Northern Nigeria has been experiencing multiple, overlapping security crises involving jihadist insurgencies, armed banditry, and farmer-herder conflicts. These dynamics have forced millions of people from their homes over the past 25 years. Before the start of 2026, Niger was already hosting more than half a million refugees and asylum-seekers. Among them were some 327,500 Nigerians, alongside large numbers of internally displaced persons. The landlocked West African nation also faces climate-related pressures that compound the humanitarian situation.

Swarming into Niger

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 percent of Niger’s reported security incidents this year, including armed attacks and violence against civilians. Drought and irregular rainfall have devastated agriculture and pastureland. Grain production is expected to be insufficient in around 700 of the region’s 1,000 villages. An estimated 70 percent of pastureland has been lost.

Dire humanitarian needs

Newly arrived refugees, many of them children, face very difficult living conditions, UNHCR stressed. Malnutrition levels are high as access to food and clean water is limited, with refugee women describing having to walk several kilometers to collect water for their families. Many are living in makeshift shelters that offer little protection from the elements, while humanitarian partners are reporting poor hygiene and widespread respiratory infections. Only around five percent of Nigerian refugees who arrived this year have been registered, with lack of funds hampering the effort. Education is another concern, particularly for children arriving from Nigeria’s English-language-based system, as Hausa is the sole official language of Niger.

‘Remarkable solidarity’

Niger’s authorities and host communities are demonstrating “remarkable solidarity” with Nigeria’s refugees, UNHCR’s Dominique Hyde said, including by making land available for temporary shelter. However, their capacity to support growing numbers of refugees is increasingly stretched. The UN agency is seeking $11.4 million to scale up the emergency and solutions response in Niger, Nigeria, and Benin, including a $2 million appeal for immediate critical needs covering water, food, shelter, health care, registration, and protection.

“Without additional resources, thousands of vulnerable families risk being left without essential assistance and protection as displacement continues,” Ms. Hyde said.

UNHCR is calling on the international community to urgently scale up its support.