UNHCR: 16,000 Nigerians Flee to Cameroon to Avoid Boko Haram

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Tuesday, March 3, 2015, that around 16,000 Nigerians had fled to Cameroon's far-north over the weekend to avoid the intensifying violence in northeast Nigeria. 

"Beginning Wednesday, the UNHCR will begin to cooperate with Cameroon's authorities to relocate the refugees to a location in Kousseri, around 90 kilometers away from the border," said the deputy spokesperson for the UN, Vannina Maestracci, at a daily briefing at the UN headquarters in New York. 

Maestracci added, "Eventually, all refugees will be moved to a camp in Minawao." 

"In light of the developments surrounding the security situation and the possible arrival of more refugees to Cameroon, there is a possibility that a second camp will be set up," said the spokesperson. 

Cameroon's authorities have begun to monitor the influx of refugees, which arrive at the restive border checkpoints in Makaria, Logone Birni, and Fotokol, near the south of Lake Chad. The continued inflow of refugees has made the area vulnerable to incursions and attacks from Nigeria's hardline guerillas, Boko Haram, reported the UN. 

Clashes between Boko Haram and Nigerian security forces have escalated in the past couple of weeks, according to a Xinhua report, which added that the fighting had spread across the border and was now affecting a much larger area than previous thought. 

It is known that Boko Haram fighters have launched several deadly attacks on civilians across Chad, Cameroon, and Niger, which complicated the UNHCR's efforts to distribute aid for the refugees and provide shelter for those in need. 

ANTARA