Niger coup halts repatriation of refugees: Governor

Timothy Olanrewaju

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - The repatriation of thousands of Nigerian refugees that fled to neighboring Niger as a result of terror attacks was halted by the July 26 military coup, an official said Wednesday.

Babagana Zulum, governor of Nigeria's northeast Borno State, where terror activities have been protracted since 2009, told the state legislature that the overthrow of Niger’s President Mohammed Bazoum affected the return of refugees.

"The coup in Niger is affecting the return of all refugees," Zulum said as he was justifying his 2024 budget for security and resettlement of refugees as well as those displaced by terror violence in the area.

He expressed concern about the development and said the government will continue to monitor the situation.

An estimated 3.2 million have been displaced by the decade-long attacks by terror groups, including Boko Haram, in the northeast region, according to the UN Humanitarian Coordination Office (UNHCR) in Nigeria.

The state government puts the figure of Nigerian refugees in Niger at more than 85,000, mostly women and children.

The UN Refugee Agency said 65,000 civilians fled Damasak, a remote community around Lake Chad to the Diffa Region in Niger after seven attacks on their homes in 2021.

The Nigerian government in 2022 constituted a high-powered committee headed by former Vice President Yemi Osibanjo to repatriate all refugees that fled to neighboring nations as a result of terror attacks.

Repatriation is expected to be completed this year.