Climate change: Floods wipe out entire villages from Cameroon to Nigeria, driving up displacement

ROMA – Floods in Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger and Nigeria have worsened living conditions for refugees and internally displaced people across the region. The floods have swept away entire villages, forcing people to flee, destroyed homes and crucial infrastructure and further exacerbated living conditions for the most vulnerable, also because the burden of these extreme weather events falls mainly on those already living in precarious conditions. Many new refugees are now taking refuge in overcrowded and makeshift places, with limited access to essential services. But these movements cause other problems: deteriorating food security, due to the difficulty of obtaining food, and increasing the risk of diseases transmitted by contaminated water, writes the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – which underlines the need for the needs of refugees and internally displaced persons to never be overlooked.

In Nigeria. The floods have affected 29 of the 36 states, affecting a total of over 600,000 people. At least 200 people have died and over 225,000 have been displaced: many of the latter had already been forced to flee at least once because of conflict. The destruction of over 115,000 hectares of agricultural land could worsen the level of food insecurity at a time when 32 million people in the country are already facing acute hunger. UNHCR and non-governmental organizations have distributed ten thousand plastic sheets to the most severely affected displaced people in some of the most exposed states. The issue of humanitarian aid in recent years, however, has clashed with the lack of funding, which makes it increasingly difficult to assist communities in need.

In First. All 23 provinces of Chad have been hit by a series of floods that began in July. According to local authorities, more than 964,000 people are suffering the effects and consequences of the heavy rains. Chad is currently hosting a high percentage of refugees, mainly from Sudan, where a violent war is underway and the country is ill-equipped to cope with the needs of the new arrivals. So far, 145 people have died because of the floods, more than 251,000 hectares of land have been submerged, more than 70,000 houses have been destroyed, as well as 29,000 heads of livestock.

In Cameroon. Between 11 and 21 August, torrential rains destroyed more than 8,600 homes, flooded hectares and hectares of agricultural land and crops and killed thousands of animals. Nearly 19,000 families were affected, for a total of 159,000 people, including nearly 50,000 refugees. Local authorities and NGOs are implementing emergency response plans, but they are facing a series of difficulties ranging from the impossibility of reaching the most remote areas because of the lack of infrastructure and many roads have been destroyed, to the risk of epidemics, which worsens in overcrowded areas with little access to drinking water.

In Niger. Severe flooding has brought destruction across the country, but particularly in the regions of Maradi, Dosso, Tillabery and Zinder, which are home to the highest number of displaced people. More than 217 people have died since the rains began in July. The floods have made infrastructure, including roads and farmland, unusable and have forced 39,000 children to stop attending school. The abundance of water, mud and debris has blocked access routes, especially in areas where refugees live, making relief efforts even slower, both by humanitarians and the army. Displaced families, including refugees and internally displaced people, are paying the highest price for a very difficult situation created by the combined effects of conflict and climate change, which first causes long periods of drought and then devastating floods.