The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has raised alarm over worsening insecurity across the Lake Chad Basin, warning that escalating violence and rising displacement are threatening to reverse years of fragile stability in the region.
Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva on Friday, the UNHCR Deputy Director for the West and Central Africa Bureau, Andrew Wyllie, said the humanitarian situation had deteriorated significantly across the Lake Chad Basin, which spans parts of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.
According to the UNHCR, more than 3.5 million people are currently forcibly displaced across the basin, while 8.2 million require humanitarian assistance.
The agency said security incidents increased by 80 per cent between January 2024 and April 2026.
The agency disclosed that between September 2025 and May 2026, nearly 1,800 security incidents and more than 5,700 fatalities were recorded, including attacks on civilians, killings, kidnappings, explosions, clashes between armed groups and raids on villages.
