Over 7,000 refugees flee to Chad after Nigeria violence

Around 7,300 Nigerian refugees have fled to the neighbouring Chad, over the last 10 days, following violence in northeastern Nigeria, the UN said Friday.

Citing the UN Refugee Agency, UN deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said that the newly arrived refugees in Chad were staying with local communities in villages about 450 km northwest of the Chadian capital of N'Djamena, according to a Xinhua report.

Boko Haram militants seized the Baga military base and several nearby locations in northeastern Nigeria Jan 3, forcing residents to flee to neighbouring countries.

UN Refugee Agency teams in Chad were at the border and were seeking more information on the newly arrived refugees and their needs, Haq said, noting the number of refugees from Nigeria in Chad has crossed 10,000.

The Chadian government has requested the assistance of aid agencies to help the refugees.

The conflict in northeastern Nigeria has led to the exodus of 135,000 people and at least 850,000 people were displaced within Nigeria, the UN said.