Nigerians on the island of Choua.
Massive exodus and involuntary migration are likely to strain food security and social services as hundreds of thousands of Nigerians are fleeing away from Boko Haram.
About a week ago, the United Nations refugee agency sought support on behalf of about a thousand Nigerians who flocked to the small island of Choua in Chad seeking refuge and fleeing attacks by Boko Haram in northern region of Nigeria.
According to the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Nigerian refugees fled as violence escalated causing destructions of their villages as well as affecting their food reserves. The batch of refugees, reported UNHCR, mainly included women and children is very much in desperate need of basic necessities such as food, water, shelter, and medical care.
"We are in distress. We need help. We have been starving for the past four days. We are surviving now on wild fruits," said Liman Ngosha, a farmer from the town of Gwoza in a report from PressTV.
Boko Haram militants attacked Gwoza, a town that merely 135 kilometers from the capital of Nigeria's Borno State killing several people and forcing hundreds to flee and seek refuge.
Originally from the Nigerian City of Kolikolia, the batch of refugees are set to be relocated to safer and more accessible hosting area in Ngouboua upon the request of the Chad government, UNHCR added.
Ngouboua is located around 30 kilometers away from the border, a region where previous Nigerian refugees are being hosted.
The Islamist group Boko Haram has been responsible for a series of unrests in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country. BBC reported that the group, whose name is said to be influenced by the Koranic phrase, "anyone who is not governed by what Allah has revealed is among the transgressors," are known for waves of bombings, assassinations, as well as abductions.
Boko Haram claims to promote a version of Islam that makes it "haram," or prohibited, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society. "The group likewise aims to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state," the BBC reported.
