Hommam Al Nassim 
More than 1,400 Nigerians have arrived in Niger over the past week, fleeing violence by armed gangs in their country, according to the United Nations.
The large-scale movement is the first refugee movement in the region since the beginning of the year, increasing the urgent need for emergency aid, French broadcaster RFI reported.
The people who arrived, mostly women and children, flocked to Niger’s Maradi region last weekend after violence broke out between armed gangs and self-defence groups in the town of Maradi, Nigeria’s Sokoto state, a few days ago.
Organisations working in Niger, including the Norwegian Refugee Council, have confirmed their continued efforts to help refugees, with Christelle Hory, advocacy director at the Norwegian Council’s West and Central Africa office, noting that refugees fled without property, food, or cash.
Hori added that emergency assistance is urgently needed, and that new displacements exacerbate challenges, especially in managing resources for host communities already suffering from extreme poverty.
Horry stressed the need to move refugees away from the border area for security reasons, noting that the UNHCR has organised relocations of some refugees to safer areas, where more assistance can be obtained.
Insecurity continues to hamper efforts to provide assistance to refugees settling in border areas, where movement can only be carried out under military escort.
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