One million West Africans have been forced to evacuate their homes due to recent heavy rainfall and floods. People from many countries such as Mali, Nigeria, and Niger have been forced to abandon their livelihoods to avoid imminent destruction. According to Save the Children, hundreds of thousands of children now displaced face multiple threats such as disease, hunger from crop destruction, and educational disruption.
The country of Mali has declared the flooding a national emergency as floods have forced nearly 75 thousand Malians out of their homes. Eleven-year-old Rama told Save the Children; “We came to live in the school because of the flood that destroyed everything we owned: our farmyard, our clothes, our kitchen utensils, especially my sister’s school supplies as well as our pretty doll that I loved very much.”
In Nigeria, nearly four-fifths of the country’s states have been attacked by the flooding, with the rainfall leading to the overflowing of the two largest rivers in the country, the Niger and the Benue. In the Giant of Africa, over 200 people have been killed and 225,000 people have been displaced. Chris Nikoi, the UN World Food Program’s Regional Director for West Africa stated “Families in West Africa have already been pushed to the limit in the wake of conflict, the socio-economic fallout from the pandemic, and skyrocketing food prices. These floods act as a misery multiplier and are the final straw for communities already struggling to keep their heads above water.”
Whilst this is usually the rainiest time of year in Africa, the rains this year have been significantly more severe than seem in any recent years. Food security programs such as Save the Children and the WFP have been providing aid to families who have been dislocated by these floods.
These floods are a part of the broader issue of climate change with Nigerian President Bola Tinubu highlighting the need to build a “more climate resilient and adaptive society.” Furthermore, nearly 115,000 hectares of farmland have been ravaged, something that will further inflame the food security crisis within the country. This flooding is not an isolated incident, but rather a piece of the puzzle of changing climate patterns affecting the severity of weather events.
Regional advocacy mediator, Vishna Shah-Little, mentioned that West African countries are already battling internal conflict, something that has significantly complicated response efforts. Struggles such as political insurgency and unrest have led to the diversion of resources away from humanitarian needs. Overall,the work of aid organizations and governments has been ineffective due to the aforementioned factors, causing consequential effects.
The flooding situation in the West of Africa has broadcasted to the world, the region’s vulnerability to natural crises. These events that are often bolstered by the ongoing effects of climate change have led to food insecurity and displacement of millions throughout the region. It’s clear to see that the flooding in West Africa is a disaster that must be handled with efficiency and dealt with sooner rather than later.
Written by Artin Safaie
