CHAD: 2 000 Chad troops head to Niger after Boko Haram attack

N'Djamena - About 2 000 troops from regional military powerhouse Chad headed to neighbouring Niger on Wednesday, where Boko Haram insurgents inflicted heavy losses in the town of Bosso last week, a military source said.

A boy sits on his father’s shoulders during a protest march in Niamey against Boko Haram-related violence. (Boureima Hama, AFP)

The "heavily armed" soldiers will "search everywhere for Boko Haram," added the source. The UN says up to 50 000 people have fled Bosso after the attacks in Niger's troubled southeast.

The attacks, in which 26 people died, began on Friday against a military post in Bosso in Niger's Diffa region.

A total of 55 insurgents from the Nigeria-based Islamist group were killed and "many" injured, according to authorities.

"An estimated 50 000 people or so fled," UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Adrian Edwards told reporters on Tuesday.

News24