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West and Central Africa: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (1 – 7 September 2020)

Countries
DR Congo
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Sources
OCHA
Publication date

REGIONAL

FLOODS

Heavy rains have been recorded in West and Central Africa in the past weeks, including in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Niger, Mali, Nigeria, Republic of Congo and Senegal, leading to devastating floods that have killed dozens and displaced thousands of people. In Niger, 329,958 people had been affected by flooding with 65 deaths. About 31,960 houses have collapsed and 5,768 hectares of farmland destroyed. Maradi, Dosso, Tahoua and Niamey are the most affected regions. In 2019, at the same time, 35,384 people were affected across the country.

In northern Nigeria, thousands of homes and wide areas of crops have been destroyed in recent flooding in the states of Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi and Sokoto. More than 30 people reportedly have died. In Borno State, about 26,000 people, including IDPs, have been affected by heavy flooding across camps and communities. Borno and Adamawa states remain at risk of heavy flooding according to the Annual Flood Outlook (AFO) released by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) in June.

In Chad, some 188,915 people (37,783 households) were affected by flooding in the central and southern provinces, in the Lac and N’Djamena respectively. Large pieces of farmland are inundated with a potential impact on food security and livelihoods.

In Senegal, an emergency aid plan has been activated following exceptional rains in the capital Dakar and large part of the country that caused devastating floods on 5 September. At least four people were killed, the exact number of the people affected is yet to be determined.

Mali has also seen severe flooding that began in July. By early August, more than 13,200 people, including 5,400 internally displaced persons, were affected by floods in the country. The worst affected regions are Gao, Mopti, Ségou and Sikasso. A total of 1,160 homes have been destroyed.

In Cameroon, more than 30,000 people have been affected by floods caused by heavy rains in Far North, West, Coastal, South and South-West regions, destroying homes, washing away livestock and devastating plantations.

Heavy rainfall at the end of July caused rivers to overflow in the Far North, affecting over 5,000 people. More flooding was recently reported in the area, with over 1,500 families displaced around Maroua.

Flooding also affected the city of Douala and surrounding areas of Littoral region in the South-West after a torrential downpour on 21 August 2020.

In Ghana, roads, bridges, homes and farmland were inundated in the Northern and North East Regions due to heavy rainfall and releases from the Bagre Dam in neighbouring Burkina Faso, which began in mid-August 2020. At least eight people have lost their lives. The spillage was necessary due to a sharp increase in the water level. Several areas remain inaccessible, making assessments impossible.

In Burkina Faso, three people died in Kaya, Centre-Nord after heavy rainfall on 4 September. Earlier flooding affected the capital Ouagadougou, reportedly killing one person and damaging houses and property.

RD CONGO

EBOLA SPREADS IN EQUATEUR PROVINCE

The expansion of the epidemic to the Bomongo health zone, bordering the Republic of Congo, is a serious concern. Rapid response actions are needed and point of Entry/Control (PoE/PoC) must be reinforced to mitigate the risk of the epidemic spreading to neighboring Republic of Congo. As of 6 September, there are 112 Ebola cases (106 confirmed cases and six probable cases), including 48 deaths and 50 recoveries.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.