Thousands flee Niger town after Boko Haram attacks

A mattress is seen strapped to the back of a car as people flee the violence from Boko Haram, in Adamawa in the north east of Nigeria, January 31, 2015. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Thousands of civilians fled their homes in the southeastern Niger town of Diffa this week, officials said on Thursday, following waves of cross-border raids and suicide bombings by Nigerian militant group Boko Haram.

Attacks in Niger are deepening a humanitarian crisis in the remote border zone. The area, struggling to feed some 150,000 people who have run to escape violence in northern Nigeria, has seen around 7,000 arrive this week in Zinder, Niger's second biggest town some 450 km (280 miles) west of Diffa.