Civilians continue to flee insecurity in Nigeria

The UN Refugee Agency ( UNHCR) said on Tuesday that violence and attacks continue to drive civilians to flee Nigeria to neighbouring countries, said a UN spokesman Thursday at a daily news briefing.

In Cameroon's remote far north region, a steady flow of Nigerian refugees are moving from the volatile Nigeria-Cameroon border area and seeking shelter some 100 kilometers inland at the Minawao camp, which is run by UNHCR and its partners, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the secretary-general.

"UNHCR added that an average of about 100 people every day are registering at the camp," said Haq.

In Niger's Diffa region, authorities have reported the arrival of some 2,500 people from Nigeria in the past days following an attack by militants on the Nigerian town of Damassak last week. The new arrivals are mainly women, children and older people, said Haq.

Since 2002, the northeast of Nigeria has been plagued by violence inflicted by Boko Haram, an Islamist movement that seeks to abolish the secular system of government and establish Sharia law.

Boko Haram has killed more than 13,000 people in violent attacks carried out since 2009 in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country. Endite