The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) denounced on Friday that at least 65,000 Nigerians have been forcibly displaced following a series of attacks on Damasak town as initial reports indicate eight people killed 12 injured.
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"Assailants looted and burned down private homes, warehouses of humanitarian agencies, a police station, a clinic, and a UNHCR Protection Desk. Those fleeing include Nigerians and Niger nationals living in the area," the UNHCR said in a statement.
Very worrying!
— UNHCR Nigeria (@unhcrnigeria) April 16, 2021
⚠️Up to 65,000 fled for their lives in #Damasak
⚠️ Armed men attacked #IDPs, other civilians, humanitarians.#Borno #Nigeria @UNHCRNiger #UPDATE ⏩https://t.co/NGjYp5HcKk via @refugees pic.twitter.com/dk3lIW5AzN
"Violence in the Lake Chad Basin has uprooted 3.3 million people, including over 300,000 Nigerian refugees and some 2.2 million displaced within north-east Nigeria, especially in Adamawa, Borno, and the Yobe States," the organization added.
The so-called Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) devastated the town on Wednesday, after which humanitarian access has been difficult, and the UNHCR mission was forced to relocate outside of Damasak.