September 25, 2020

Andrew Campbell 

Due to the heaviest rains starting to hit Africa’s Sahel region since August, it has suffered deadly floods, in which thousands of people need urgent aid. So far, Niger has been hit hardest, with confirmed 71 deaths and 90 injured. Over 350,000 people are affected by floods across the country.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, stated September 24 that thousands are in immediate need of shelter, clean water, and health services. The UN Refugee Agency also urged to make scaling up efforts in assisting displaced families in Africa’s Sahel, with more than 700,000 people affected by devastating floods in the region.

In addition to destroyed housing, the flooding has damaged health centers across the Sahel region. Reportedly water resources have been contaminated and latrines have flooded. UNHCR warned that this has impacted national responses to stop the spreading of Coronavirus infection and other illnesses, such as cholera, malaria, and measles.

The US announces September 24 to provide life-saving aid to internally displaced people, refugees, and the communities that generously host them. The funding is about US$152 million, includes US$85 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and US$67 million from the U.S. Department of State, in new Humanitarian assistance in the Central Sahel countries of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania.

Photo:Webshot.