More than 3.5 million people have been forcibly displaced across the Lake Chad Basin as insecurity continues to fuel a humanitarian crisis affecting Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has said.
The UN agency warned on Friday that the region was approaching a dangerous tipping point, with violence escalating and humanitarian needs rising despite years of efforts to restore stability.
Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, the UNHCR Deputy Director for the West and Central Africa Bureau, Andrew Wyllie, said that 8.2 million people now require humanitarian assistance across the Basin.
According to the agency, security incidents rose by 80 per cent between January 2024 and April 2026. It 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.
UNHCR identified Borno State in northeastern Nigeria as the epicentre of the crisis, saying repeated attacks by non-state armed groups, military operations, and growing insecurity along roads and displacement routes continue to force families from their homes while restricting humanitarian access.
The agency added that the conflict had spread beyond the North-East, with insecurity and displacement increasingly affecting the North-West and parts of the Middle Belt.
It said more than 77,500 people had been displaced across the four countries since January 2026, including over 16,000 refugees who fled attacks in northeastern Nigeria into Niger's Diffa region, where humanitarian partners are providing emergency assistance.
UNHCR warned that violence was increasingly spilling across national borders, with attacks in one country triggering displacement in neighbouring states.
It noted that 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.
The agency said civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict, with recent protection monitoring showing that one in five households no longer feels safe in its own community.
It added that women and girls face increasing risks of violence while specialised protection services remain critically overstretched.
According to UNHCR, 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 despite widespread underreporting.
Children have also been severely affected, with about half of those living in the worst-hit areas out of school. In Chad's Lac Province, the figure exceeds 78 per cent.
The agency further reported that one in four respondents said there were separated or unaccompanied children in their communities, rising to one in three in Cameroon's Far North.
Wyllie commended governments across the region for keeping their borders open to people fleeing violence and supporting displaced communities.
He said, 'UNHCR is working with them across all four countries to assist people fleeing violence, monitor risks, support new arrivals, and ensure families can access documentation, assistance, and, where conditions allow, pathways to return, reintegration, and recovery.'
The agency, however, warned that humanitarian operations were struggling to keep pace with growing needs.
Wyllie said, 'UNHCR and partners urgently need $29 million through December 2026 to sustain operations, maintain critical protection, and assistance in high-risk areas, and support government-led regional stabilization efforts.'
He cautioned that, '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. The trajectory remains deeply concerning, but it is still reversible with sustained support now.'