Conflict forces 3.5 million from their homes around Lake Chad, says UN refugee agency

The Lake Chad Basin is grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis, with over 3.5 million people forcibly displaced across the region, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. This crisis affects Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, where insecurity persists and fuels the worsening humanitarian situation.

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The region is on the brink of a dangerous tipping point, with escalating violence and rising humanitarian needs, despite years of efforts to restore stability, the UN agency warned on Friday.

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Andrew Wyllie, the UNHCR Deputy Director for the West and Central Africa Bureau, spoke at a press briefing in Geneva, stating that 8.2 million people now require humanitarian assistance across the Basin.

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Security incidents in the region have increased by 80 per cent between January 2024 and April 2026, with nearly 1,800 security incidents and more than 5,700 fatalities recorded between September 2025 and May 2026.

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These incidents include attacks on civilians, killings, kidnappings, explosions, clashes between armed groups, and raids on villages, highlighting the dire security situation in the region.

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Borno State in northeastern Nigeria has been identified as the epicentre of the crisis, with repeated attacks by non-state armed groups, military operations, and growing insecurity along roads and displacement routes forcing families from their homes.

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Humanitarian access is also being restricted, exacerbating the crisis, while the conflict has spread beyond the North-East, affecting the North-West and parts of the Middle Belt.

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Since January 2026, more than 77,500 people have been displaced across the four countries, including over 16,000 refugees who fled attacks in northeastern Nigeria into Niger’s Diffa region.

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Humanitarian partners are providing emergency assistance to these displaced individuals, amid concerns that violence is increasingly spilling across national borders, triggering displacement in neighbouring states.

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Persistent attacks continue to fuel insecurity in Cameroon’s Far North, while recurrent attacks and military operations in Chad’s Lac Province have displaced about 60,000 people, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency in May.

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Civilians are bearing the brunt of the conflict, with recent protection monitoring showing that one in five households no longer feels safe in its own community, and women and girls face increasing risks of violence.

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Specialised protection services remain critically overstretched, while the proportion of people who know survivors of violence rose from 19 per cent in 2025 to 27 per cent in 2026, reflecting a deteriorating protection environment.

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Children have also been severely affected, with about half of those living in the worst-hit areas out of school, and in Chad’s Lac Province, this figure exceeds 78 per cent.

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Furthermore, one in four respondents said there were separated or unaccompanied children in their communities, rising to one in three in Cameroon’s Far North, highlighting the need for targeted support.

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Andrew Wyllie commended governments across the region for keeping their borders open to people fleeing violence and supporting displaced communities, as UNHCR works with them to assist people fleeing violence.

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UNHCR is working to monitor risks, support new arrivals, and ensure families can access documentation, assistance, and pathways to return, reintegration, and recovery, but humanitarian operations are struggling to keep pace with growing needs.

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The agency urgently needs $29 million through December 2026 to sustain operations, maintain critical protection and assistance in high-risk areas, and support government-led regional stabilization efforts.

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Without timely and flexible support, protection gaps will widen, displacement will continue to spread across borders, and the risk of a more entrenched regional crisis will increase, according to Wyllie.

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The situation remains deeply concerning, but it is still reversible with sustained support now, Wyllie cautioned, emphasizing the need for immediate action to mitigate the crisis.