Boko Haram's attacks spread into Niger sparking mass exodus By Dan Wooding, Founder of ASSIST and ASSIST News Service NIGER (ANS – Feb. 13, 2015) -- Nigeria's neighbor to its north, French-speaking Niger, is the latest country to pledge its Army will fight the radical Islamic group, Boko Haram. According to Illia Djadi, writing for World Watch Monitor (WWM), Boko Haram's military and strategic advance has already provoked the postponement of Nigeria's Presidential election, due to have been held this Saturday, February 14th. The election is now planned for March 28th. ![Map of the region World Watch Monitor]() "On February 9th, Niger's Parliament voted to join Chad, Cameroon, and Benin in a regional force to try and stop the insurgency from spreading further across the regions bordering North-east Nigeria," he said. "The region of Diffa near Lake Chad in South-Eastern Niger has become a new battle ground for the radical insurgents." He went on to say that on Friday, February 6, 2015, militants launched their first action to target Niger territory: twin attacks against the towns of Bosso and Diffa. It was repulsed by the Niger army. But the radical group intensified its incursions in the region, with five attacks in less than a week. "On Wednesday, February 11, an attempted suicide attack was foiled in Diffa. According to AFP quoting a military source, a female suicide bomber was shot before she could detonate her device," he went on to say. "The Niger government has declared a 15-day state of emergency which started at midnight Tuesday 10 February, in an attempt to curb this upsurge of attacks. "The measure grants broad powers to the army, allowing them to search homes and ban the circulation of motorbikes, which are often used by Islamists to launch attacks." Mass Exodus According to local sources the army has been carrying out search operations aimed at flushing out the jihadists who have infiltrated the city of Diffa. "But these operations were not enough to reassure people," added Illia Djadi. He stated that traumatized by the recent incursions and fearful of new attacks, thousands have fled the region, especially towards Zinder, 350 kilometers west of Diffa, though still close to the Nigerian border. Pastor Nehemiah Garba is one of the displaced people. He told WWM that Diffa has lost many of its residents. "Hundreds, even thousands of people have left in cars and trucks. It's truly a matter of survival of the fittest," he said. "Almost everything is closed: schools, administration, and even the hospital is affected as the medical staff have gone. "I have seen patients who have undergone operations attempt to leave the hospital, but unfortunately there are no [medical staff] to help them. These patients are in despair." For Garba, who lived in Diffa for twenty-one years, the decision to leave was "truly painful." He added, "I have left everything behind. For me the priority is to shelter women and children terrified by the deafening noise of weapons, which echo night and day." Leading a convoy of three vehicles, Garba evacuated a hundred people, mostly women and children. "Today all the churches in the region are closed," he laments. "Maybe when the situation has calmed down we will go back. But for now, it's difficult to know how long it will take." Looming humanitarian crisis Several NGOs, including the UNHCR and WFP, have evacuated their staff and suspended operations. "This is a serious blow to the region, one of the poorest in Niger," said the WWM journalist. Located at the extreme east of Niger, more than 1300 km (807 miles) from its capital, Niamey, the Diffa region belongs to the Lake Chad Basin and shares borders with Chad to the East, and Nigeria to the South. The Komadugu Yobe River forms the natural border between Niger and Nigeria, and facilitates the mobility of the population, including militants. Nearly 150,000 people fleeing clashes between militants and the Nigerian army have already found refuge in Niger since May 2013. Such internal displacement adds "a new humanitarian problem" to "an already complex situation," warned Benoit Moreno, a UNHCR spokesman in Niger. "Boko Haram's attacks come at a difficult time for Niger's minority Christians who are mainly found in southern Niger, along the Nigerian border," concluded Illia Djadi. "In mid-January, Christians in Niamey and towns such as Zinder had their churches and homes destroyed as Muslims targeted them in response to the Charlie Hebdo cartoon of the Prophet Mohamed. All but one church in Zinder was destroyed." Photo caption: Located at the extreme east of Niger, the Diffa region belongs to the Lake Chad Basin and shares borders with Chad to the East, and Nigeria to the South. (Map supplied by World Watch Monitor
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