International Millions affected by floods in Chad

Almost two million people have been affected by severe flooding in Chad. This corresponds to around ten percent of the population, according to the office of the UN emergency aid organization Ocha in the Central African country. At least 576 people have died in the floods since the end of July. More than 200,000 houses and tens of thousands of hectares of farmland and pasture have been destroyed, as well as schools, health centers and other infrastructure in the country.

The rising waters are now also threatening the capital N'Djamena. The Chari and Logone rivers, which converge near N'Djamena and flow into Lake Chad, are expected to reach critical levels in the coming days. Chad's Prime Minister Allamaye Halina asked states and international organizations for further help. The head of government said that the government was trying to alleviate the effects of the floods by providing medical aid and distributing free food to the affected population.

With 19 million inhabitants, oil-rich Chad is one of the least developed countries in the world according to the UN index. The majority of the population are small-scale farmers; almost half of the population is poor. The country is also home to more than 1.2 million refugees, including more than one million from neighboring Sudan.

In West and Central Africa, the annual rainy season this year has been characterized by particularly heavy rainfall. Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Cameroon have also experienced flooding. According to Ocha, more than 1,000 people have lost their lives and more than five million people have been affected.

SDA