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CNN's crew stops to film a camel caravan in the Diffa region of Niger on Saturday, May 31. Cross-border trade has existed for centuries, but increased attacks by Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria has meant more and more people are choosing to stay in Niger. BRENT SWAILS/CNN
CNN's Arwa Damon (L) heads out on Lake Chad. Islands now cover half of the once-massive lake as its waters continue to recede. U.S. and Nigerian security sources say the lake is an area of interest in the search for the missing Nigerian schoolgirls. BRENT SWAILS/CNN
On the outskirts of Diffa, Niger, the village of Guessere's population has nearly doubled. Its new residents all come from a village 3 kilometers into Nigeria. Many fled in the middle of the night, driven away by Boko Haram. BRENT SWAILS/CNN
All that Bintou, 14, and her sister Ma'ou, 12, have of their former life in Nigeria are tattered photos of their parents. Their mother died before they can remember and their father was killed several months ago in a Boko Haram attack. They're now living in Diffa with their aunt. BRENT SWAILS/CNN
The International Rescue Committee estimates that 80 percent of Nigerian refugees fleeing across the border to Niger are women and girls. BRENT SWAILS/CNN
Many of the islands on Lake Chad are inhabited by fishing communities and refugees from Nigeria. One village leader said he used to live on a different island before fleeing during a Boko Haram attack. BRENT SWAILS/CNN
A young boy poses for CNN in Guessere, Niger on May 30. The World Food Programme estimates that Boko Haram's terror campaign has sent at least 25,000 Nigerians fleeing into Niger's remote Diffa region this year alone. BRENT SWAILS/CNN
The border between Niger and Nigeria is easy to cross along many points. Security sources say Boko Haram tends to use Niger as a logistics hub and to escape military operations in Nigeria. BRENT SWAILS/CNN
Vigilante groups in Maiduguri, Nigeria have managed to establish a semblance of security in the city that gave birth to Boko Haram. Their pursuit of the terrorist group has been relentless, and they show no mercy -- not even to family. BRENT SWAILS/CNN
In March, Nigerian forces raided a Boko Haram camp on Lake Chad, capturing weapons, ammunition and explosives. But there's still no sign of the nearly 300 girls the group kidnapped in April. COURTESY Nigeria DHQ
