3.4 million people have been displaced by floods in West and Central Africa

The UN refugee agency said on Friday that the destruction caused by the floods has displaced more than 3.4 million people in West and Central Africa.

UNHCR said on Friday Nigeria’s worst floods in a decade have killed hundreds, displaced 1.3 million and affected more than 2.8 million people in the West African country of 218 million inhabitants.

Survivors had to rush to higher ground as farmland and infrastructure were submerged in water. Many live in IDP camps that were set up in part to help people fleeing simmering violence in the region, among other issues.

“The climate crisis is happening now – destroying livelihoods, disrupting food security, exacerbating conflicts over scarce resources and causing displacement,” said UNHCR spokeswoman Olga Sarrado.

« The link between climate shocks and displacement is clear and growing. »

The agency noted that the government of Chad, where flooding has affected more than a million people, has declared a state of emergency.

The floods also killed hundreds and displaced thousands in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, UNHCR said.

The showers in West Africa contrast with the worst drought in 40 years in the Horn of Africa.

Nigeria experiences flooding every year, often due to inadequate infrastructure and failure to follow environmental guidelines.

In September, authorities blamed this year’s flooding on the overflow of water from some local rivers, unusual rainfall and the release of excess water from the Lagdo dam in neighboring Cameroon’s northern region.