Key facts
- UNHCR said Niger already hosts more than 500,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, including about 327,500 Nigerians.
- UNHCR said more than 23,000 people reached Diffa since the start of 2026, over two-thirds of them children.
- UNHCR said only about 5% of refugees who arrived in Niger in 2026 have been formally registered.
- UNHCR spokesperson Dominique Hyde said insecurity and climate-related pressures were worsening humanitarian needs in Niger.
- UNHCR said more than 70% of Niger's reported security incidents in 2026 occurred in the Diffa region.
Nearly 64,000 people have fled northern Nigeria for neighboring Niger in 2026, escaping attacks by Islamist militants and armed gangs, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said in a report published November 10, 2026. The agency said the influx is stretching resources in Niger, which already hosts more than 500,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, including about 327,500 Nigerians. Several hundred Nigerians have also sought refuge in Benin.
Most of the new arrivals have settled in the border regions of Diffa and Tahoua. UNHCR said more than 23,000 people, over two-thirds of them children, have reached Diffa alone since the start of the year. "Thousands of newly arrived refugees, many of them children, are struggling to survive with limited access to food, clean water, shelter and essential services, as humanitarian resources fall critically short," UNHCR spokesperson Dominique Hyde said in a statement on Tuesday. Many families live in makeshift shelters, and women often walk several kilometers each day to fetch water, she said.
Aid agencies have reported rising malnutrition, respiratory infections and poor sanitation among new arrivals. UNHCR said only about 5% of refugees in Niger who arrived in 2026 have been formally registered, leaving many without the documentation needed to access aid and public services. Hyde said insecurity and climate-related pressures were worsening humanitarian needs, noting that more than 70% of Niger's reported security incidents in 2026 occurred in the Diffa region.
UNHCR said it is seeking $11.4 million to expand its response in Niger, Nigeria and Benin, warning that thousands of displaced families could be left without basic assistance unless additional funding is secured. The agency said attacks by Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province fighters and criminal gangs have uprooted millions of people across northern Nigeria over the past decade.