The shifts in weather patterns have become increasingly alarming, as evidenced by extreme rainy seasons resulting in severe floods and droughts. West and Central Africa are currently facing a disaster barely two months into the 2024 rainy season, with torrential rains and severe flooding significantly affecting up to 700,000 people and causing a rise in casualties.
Based on the 2024 seasonal forecast for the region, above-average rainfall was predicted for the June to August and July to September periods in the Sahel and West African countries, which are known to be flood-prone.
Given past experiences, the occurrence of such extreme floods exacerbates the already significant needs of the region’s population, which is highly vulnerable due to chronic poverty, underdevelopment, conflict, and political instability. This, in turn, increases the resources required for a humanitarian response as floods devastate the continent.
According to data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the flooding has affected over 716,473 people across the Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, and Togo. Additionally, at least 72 people have lost their lives due to drowning, and 699 others have been injured.
The data is even more alarming as it reveals that the floods have severely disrupted livelihoods and basic social services, undermining communities’ ability to sustain themselves and forcing them to rely on aid to survive with dignity. Access to healthcare and basic education has been severely hindered, with dozens of schools and medical centers either destroyed or damaged.
Furthermore, food production and security are at risk, with at least 25,726 hectares of farmland damaged and 4,205 livestock killed. Additional damage has been recorded on critical buildings and infrastructure, with approximately 62,000 houses destroyed or damaged, leaving 54,772 people, including women and children, homeless and displaced.
Charles Bernimolin, Head of the UN Humanitarian Coordination Office for West and Central Africa, emphasized the need for meaningful and strategic investments to prepare communities and mitigate the worst impacts in advance.
“Every year, we sound the alarm on the effects of climate change and what it means for people’s lives: their homes, their ability to farm and eat, to send their kids to school, to access basic healthcare,” said Bernimolin.
Notably, Nigeria and Chad recorded the highest numbers of people displaced due to flooding, with 45,797 and 5,286 displaced persons respectively. However, Chad has been the worst-hit country, with 246,883 people affected by the high waters in just a few weeks.
As the climate crisis increasingly threatens the survival of the most vulnerable communities, there have been heightened calls for the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund to assist in building resilience and response measures. Financial constraints have been attributed to ineffective preparations despite early warnings issued to the population, as witnessed in the extreme floods across various African regions.
Charles Bernimolin underscored the limited time available to address the climate crisis in West and Central Africa, stressing that without proactive measures to reduce the effects of heavy flooding, drought, and soil degradation, the region’s most vulnerable people will face even greater consequences at a much higher cost.
This concern is underscored by the Central Emergency Response Fund’s allocation of nearly US$10 million to the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Niger in response to climate-related emergencies, including floods.
“The solutions to manage this exist, but it requires immediate action and sufficient funding,” said Bernimolin.
