100s Chadians cross into Nigeria
2008-02-06 14:21
Lagos - Hundreds of refugees fleeing fighting in Chad have crossed into neighbouring Nigeria, where they are wandering in search of a site to set up their camp, the Red Cross says.
About 1 000 civilians fleeing days of battles between rebels and government troops in Chad's capital had already arrived in Nigeria's northern Borno state, where they were seeking a place to settle, said a Nigerian Red Cross spokesperson, Okon Umoh.
Nigeria shared a short land border with Chad and a longer frontier with Cameroon, a thin slice of which separated Nigeria from most of Chad. The United Nations said some 20 000 refugees had fled into Cameroon.
Umoh said it was unclear if the refugees in Nigeria had travelled across Cameroon or had entered directly from Chad. She said the Red Cross was hoping to offer medical services to the refugees.
- AP