7,000 Nigerians forced out of Niger republic by the military
7,000 Nigerians who have been taking refuge in Lake Chad since
Boko Haram attacks chased them from their villages in the North, are being forced out of Niger and back to Nigeria by the
Nigerien military. The deportation started on Tuesday May 5th.
According
to Voice of America, the Nigerians were forced out against their will following Boko Haram's attacks
on the island of Karamga in Lake Chad
last month in which 74 Nigerien soldiers and civilians were killed. The
Nigerians were deported in trucks and dumped in Yobe state by the
Nigerien military. A photo of some of the Nigerians deported above.
Commenting
on the deportation, Alhaji Muhammed Kanar, the northeast coordinator
for Nigeria’s Emergency Management Agency NEMA , said, “From the first
three days, we received nearly
4,000. And in fact, another batch of nearly 3,000 or above, we are now
in the process of registration.”.
Karl Steinacker,
Niger's representative for the United Nations
refugee agency, UNHCR, criticized the Nigerien government for sending
the Nigerians back home and putting them at risk. Nigerians and
Nigeriens lived around the Lake Chad but the Nigeriens
were sent to communities and towns in Niger republic while the Nigerians
who are taking
refuge in the Lake Chad were deported to Yobe state in trucks.
"Those islands are home to both Nigerians and Nigeriens working in the fishing industry. But, while citizens of Niger are moving into cities and towns, Nigerians have nowhere to go but back across the border. People’s livelihoods have been destroyed because they have been told you can no longer live and work on the lake, and now they are told, OK, but in any event, we’ll take you back to your country. So they say yes… What other options do they have? Even if they are migrants, the question is, is it appropriate to send them back, and is it the right way it’s being handled, and I guess in both cases it is no," he said.
"Those islands are home to both Nigerians and Nigeriens working in the fishing industry. But, while citizens of Niger are moving into cities and towns, Nigerians have nowhere to go but back across the border. People’s livelihoods have been destroyed because they have been told you can no longer live and work on the lake, and now they are told, OK, but in any event, we’ll take you back to your country. So they say yes… What other options do they have? Even if they are migrants, the question is, is it appropriate to send them back, and is it the right way it’s being handled, and I guess in both cases it is no," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment