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Number of Malian refugees in Niger surpasses war-time levels: UN

Xinhua, November 10, 2015 Adjust font size:

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported Tuesday that the number of Malian refugees in neighbouring Niger has reached its highest level since conflict erupted in 2012, with over 54,000 refugees registered in the West African nation today.

"The new influx and unprecedented numbers of Malian refugees presents major challenges for UNHCR, which has seen a steady reduction in its operational budget. The evolving situation is the opposite of what we predicted and had prepared for," the refugee agency said in a statement.

With an additional 3,000 refugees awaiting registration, these numbers come despite the signing of a peace accord last June between the Malian government, a loyalist militia and a Tuareg-led rebel coalition.

According to reports, refugees arriving in Niger in recent weeks are fleeing a climate of lawlessness, extortion, food shortages and inter-tribal rivalry in the eastern part of the landlocked country.

Fighting between herders and farmers and a power vacuum engendered by the lack of a strong government and military presence in the east have further compounded the situation.

At the height of the 2012-2013 Malian civil war, which ended when French and Malian troops defeated rebel factions, the number of Malian refugees in Niger stood at 50,000, with as many as 47,449 Malian refugees still residing in Niger at the start of this year. Endit