“They need somewhere to settle in peace to regain their dignity”
Yebi transit site, in Bosso, Diffa region, in south-eastern Niger
Interview with Aissami Abdou, MSF field coordinator in Diffa, south-east Niger, about the situation of the thousands of people who fled from Lake Chad at the beginning of May.
How is the current situation of the population that fled from Lake Chad?
The situation is critical; most of them are settled around two camps, one in Bosso and another one in Nguigmi, two towns located near the lake. Some of them are still around some other villages not far from the lake. They came out from the islands after the evacuation order from the authorities, following the violent attack of Boko Haram on Karamga Island on 25 April, where many Niger soldiers were killed and some were declared missing. Then, they settled randomly as fast as they could to save their lives and did not prepare for anything.According to the numbers provided by the regional authorities, around 11,200 persons arrived in Nguigmi while 13,000 arrived in Bosso from the islands in the first week of May. Moreover, some 15,000 were sent to Gaidam town, in northern Nigeria, via a transit site in Diffa.
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