Niger closes 150 schools due to Boko Haram attacks

 
(AGI) Niamey, Nov 6 - Niger's government has closed over 150 schools due to attacks by the Islamist group Boko Haram in the country's south-eastern Diffa region, the UN announced on Friday. According to the statement by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Niamey,  



151 schools were closed due to "insecurity that has sparked the absence of teachers and panic in the population". The affected schools, located near Lake Chad and the Komadougou Yobe' river, which marks the border between Niger and Nigeria, are attended by over 12 thousand pupils. Students are fleeing the targeted areas en masse, prompting Niger and the UN to elaborate a plan to allow the pupils to resume their studies in late November in safer locations. Niger's prime minister, Brigi Rafini, gave assurances that the government will take charge of the students to shield them from the extremist group. Nigerian Minister of the Interior Hassoumi Massaoudou explained that the biggest challenge is controlling the border zone with Nigeria, where Niger has now placed anti-personnel mines..