UN refugee agency reports thousands of people fleeing Boko Haram attacks in Niger

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said that tens of thousands of people have fled their homes in south-east Niger following attacks by Boko Haram insurgents, a UN spokesman told reporters here Tuesday.

The insurgents have launched a string of raids on the town of Bosso in the troubled Diffa region since Friday, media reported.

"The (UN) agency said that the attacks occurred on 3, 5 and 6 June and that the situation in the town of Bosso is unclear," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

An estimated 50,000 people fled the attack on Friday, reports said.

Meanwhile, at least 30 soldiers from Niger and two from Nigeria were killed on Friday in the wake of Boko Haram's attack on the two neighboring countries' border near the city of Bosso, reports said.

"UNHCR is working with the authorities and partners on a coordinated response to the displacement," the spokesman said. "The agency also said it has not been working directly in Bosso since February 2015 but operates through local implementing partners to deliver help."

It added that insecurity and lack of access have long hampered humanitarian operations in parts of the Diffa region, he said. "UNHCR said that additional support from the donor community is urgently required."

The eastern part of Niger, close to the border with Nigeria, has witnessed since February 2015 repeated attacks launched by Boko Haram, who has claimed the lives of hundreds of Nigerien civilians and soldiers, the group has also displaced thousands of Nigerians as well as Nigeriens. Endit