Dakar, Jan. 20 (Reuters).─ More than one million people may have been forced to leave their homes in northern Nigeria by the five-year-old insurgency of Islamist sect Boko Haram, a United Nations agency said.
The militants' attacks may force even more people to flee, both internally and to Cameroon, Niger and Chad, which could destabilise the region, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned in a statement on Tuesday.
"We also are concerned with the regional impact of the crisis and potential threats to the peace and security of neighbouring countries, should Boko Haram's insurgency spread," said IOM Director of Operations and Emergencies Mohammed Abdiker.
The Sunni Muslim sect, which is trying to carve out an Islamic state in the largely Muslim north of the west African country, has killed thousands since 2009 in what is seen as the biggest security threat to Africa's top oil producer.
In their most recent major attack earlier this month, the insurgents are thought to have killed hundreds of people ...
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