The tragic face of victims of Boko Haram terror in Niger

Ahmed Adel

According to a UN report issued Friday (June 7th) on the situation of refugees and displaced persons in Lake Chad area especially in Niger, the Boko Haram terrorist group is seeking to further deteriorate the security situation around the lake by launching more operations.

“Since March 2019, security problems and deteriorating conditions have led to the displacement of a large number of people,” said Fattouma Bent Jebo, UN humanitarian coordinator for Niger. “The Difa region in the southeast of the country is in a state of insecurity. The terrorist attacks that led to the displacement of 25,000 people from their homes resulted in the deaths of 88 civilians.”

She added that the deteriorating security situation on the border with Nigeria led to the displacement of about 20,000 Nigerians to the area of ​​Maradi in the south-central of the country.

In the Tahoe and Telebiri regions of western Niger, close to Mali and Burkina Faso, more than 70,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of 2019 as a result of violence and terrorism.

Nearly 2.3 million people, or 10.4 percent of Niger’s population, need humanitarian assistance, particularly in the insecure and economically unstable areas of Deva, Tilabiri and Tahwa, she said.

“The influence of Boko Haram in Lake Chad will not end,” says Mohamed Ezzeddine, a researcher on African affairs. “Most of the cities that caused the exodus of the population are rich in natural resources. That confirms that the attempt to seize the group on natural resources comes in order to support the purchase of weapons and equipment.”