The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says nearly 64,000 Nigerians have fled to the neighbouring Niger Republic since the beginning of 2026, as worsening insecurity in northern Nigeria fuels a growing humanitarian crisis across the region.

In a statement on Tuesday, the agency said northern Nigeria had experienced overlapping security crises, including jihadist insurgencies, armed banditry and farmer-herder conflicts, forcing millions of people from their homes over the past 25 years.

The UN refugee agency also said several hundred Nigerians fled to the Benin Republic during the same period, warning that host countries were struggling to cope with the growing number of displaced people.

It said Niger, which was already hosting more than 500,000 refugees and asylum-seekers before 2026, including approximately 327,500 Nigerians, had received the largest number of new arrivals this year.

It stated that in October alone, about 1,200 people crossed into Diffa, in south-eastern Niger, and another 3,400 into Tahoua, in the west, both bordering Nigeria.

The agency further explained conditions were particularly dire in Diffa, which had accounted for more than 70 per cent of Niger’s reported security incidents this year, including armed attacks and violence against civilians.

It added that drought and irregular rainfall had also devastated agriculture and pastureland.

“Grain production is expected to be insufficient in around 700 of the region’s 1,000 villages, while an estimated 70 per cent of pastureland has been lost,” it said.

The UNHCR noted that newly arrived refugees, many of them children, faced very difficult living conditions.

“Malnutrition levels are high as access to food and clean water is limited, with refugee women describing having to walk several kilometres to collect water for their families,” it said.

The agency noted that many refugees live in makeshift shelters that offer little protection from the elements, and humanitarian partners were reporting poor hygiene and widespread respiratory infections.

The agency identified access to education as another major challenge, particularly for Nigerian children accustomed to an English-language education system, noting that some locations lacked schools and transitional learning facilities.

The agency called on the international community to urgently increase humanitarian assistance, disclosing that it was seeking $11.4 million to expand its emergency response and long-term solutions in Niger, Nigeria and Benin.

It said $2 million of the requested amount was intended to address immediate needs, including water, food, shelter, healthcare, refugee registration and protection.

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