The UN’s refugee agency on Tuesday urged Cameroon and other nations not to expel Nigerians who have fled their homes amid fighting between Boko Haram Islamist rebels and government troops.
“With the recent escalation of violence in north-east Nigeria, UNHCR is today advising all states against forced returns of people to the region,” spokesman Dan McNorton told reporters.
“We are also urging that borders be kept open for Nigerians fleeing the country and who may be in need of international protection,” he added.
UNHCR’s concerns focus on Cameroon, the choice of refuge for most of the 10,000 Nigerians who have fled during a sweeping government offensive against the rebels that started in May.
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McNorton said UNHCR was alarmed by reports earlier this month that 111 people had been forced by Cameroon’s security forces to return to Nigeria from a border village in Cameroon.
Fifteen people were killed in the border zone during the incident, although it was not clear who was responsible, he said.
The remaining individuals fled back to Cameroon and were detained, and UNHCR was working with officials there to assess whether they were refugees.
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