The European Union has announced the release of €5.4m in humanitarian aid to support victims in the wake of catastrophic floods across six West and Central African countries.
According to EU, the aid will assist Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, and Burkina Faso, where over 4.4 million people have been impacted by the unprecedented rainfall.
The devastating floods caused the destruction of homes, public health facilities, water systems, schools, and sanitation services, as well as roads, and agricultural areas were ravaged.
The situation in the affected regions was further exacerbated by limited access to clean water, hygiene, and sanitation, which increases the risk of waterborne diseases.
In a statement released via its website on Monday, the EU explained that the funding will be directed towards providing immediate relief in the form of food, shelter, clean water, and essential sanitation services.
“This funding will help our humanitarian partners on the ground to provide immediate aid and respond to the most urgent needs concerning food, shelter, access to clean water and sanitation, and other essential services in the hardest-hit areas,” the EU said.
It noted that the allocation of funds will be as follows, Chad— €1,000,000m, Niger— €1,350,000m, Nigeria— €1,100,000m, Mali— €1,000,000m, Cameroon—€650,000 and Burkina Faso—€300,000
The funding follows the €232m in humanitarian aid already provided by the EU to the countries earlier this year.
However, the EU and its partners responded to the immediate consequences of floods in Liberia, Guinea, Chad, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Mali, through timely adjustments to ongoing actions and contributions to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Janez Lenarčič, the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, described the situation as unprecedented, highlighting the scale of destruction caused by excessive rainfall.
Lenarčič said, “Excessive rainfalls have lashed the Sahel and Lake Chad regions with unprecedented impact, displacing millions and causing widespread suffering and damage. We are mobilising all means at our disposal to help the most vulnerable in the flood-stricken countries, so they can receive much-needed relief.”
Some of the most affected areas include Mali, which recorded its highest rainfall since 1967, and Niger, where over 1 million people have been displaced. Chad has been similarly hard hit, with 1.5 million people affected and further rainfall expected.
In Northern Nigeria, a region already grappling with a severe food and nutrition crisis fueled by conflict, insecurity, and inflation, the situation has deteriorated further following a dam failure in the Maiduguri area, which has compounded the devastation, leaving an estimated 641,600 people displaced.