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Torrential rains and severe flooding have impacted more than 700,000 people in West and Central Africa, just two months into the rainy season, a UN spokesman said on Tuesday.
Torrential rains and severe flooding in the Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Mali and Togo have impacted more than 700,000 people, said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, at a daily briefing.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said it is concerned about flooding in the region.
In Chad, the worst-hit, more than 245,000 people were affected by high water in just a few weeks, OCHA said, adding that floods have destroyed or damaged more than 60,000 houses, affected schools and medical facilities, and hampered access to health care and education.
The United Nations and its partners are supporting the responses by governments of the region, including with the distribution of food, shelter, and water and sanitation assistance, said Haq.
This year, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund allocated 10 million U.S. dollars to the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Niger to respond to emergencies related to climate shocks, including floods, said the spokesman.
According to OCHA, the 2024 seasonal forecast predicted above-average cumulative rainfall over the June to August and the July to September periods in areas already prone to flooding in the Sahel and some countries in West Africa.
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