16th December, 2020
By Agency Report
Boko Haram latest attack on the Nigerien town of Toumour has triggered UN grave concern about the safety of thousands of refugees and internally displaced.
Toumour in Niger’s south eastern Diffa region shelters over 30,000 refugees and displaced, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
On 12 December, Boko Haram killed at least 28 people and wounded hundreds in a four-hour attack that began late in the evening.
Municipal and regional elections in the Diffa region were also disrupted due to the violence, the UN statement said.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack and reiterated the UN’s commitment to support national efforts to consolidate democratic governance, promote social cohesion and boost sustainable development, his Spokesperson said in a statement.
UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch, said on Tuesday, that attackers destroyed nearly two-thirds of the town’s homes, burned the Toumour market to the ground, and killed more than 1,000 cattle, according to local reports.
“Following the attack, most of the population fled to the bush, with some people returning only at daytime,” he added.
Mr. Baloch said UNHCR teams reported on Monday that many had left the town and were heading towards Diffa, some 100 kilometres away, which is already hosting about 46,000 refugees, displaced and returnees.
“Together with humanitarian partners and local authorities, we are organising emergency shelter, food, water, and health support to the affected communities. However, recent heavy floods have made it difficult for aid workers to reach Toumour.”
The Lake Chad basin has been hit hard by increasing extremist violence over the past few months that has forced hundreds of thousands into the Diffa region.
UNHCR and its partners are providing protection and humanitarian aid to more than 265,000 people there, said Mr. Baloch.
“The COVID-19 pandemic further complicates the response as most of the displaced are sheltering in crowded urban areas where social distancing is impossible,” he added.
The UNHCR spokesperson called for increased financial support to ensure a comprehensive response to humanitarian emergencies in the Lake Chad Basin, where millions have been affected by violence.
As of early December, only 52 per cent of the US$126.3 million required for the region had been funded.