The European Union has released €5.4 million in humanitarian aid to help the most affected populations in the aftermath of the devastating floods in Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon, Mali and Burkina Faso.
More than 4.4 million people are estimated to be affected in the six countries where floods have destroyed houses, public health facilities, water systems, schools and sanitation facilities as well as roads, infrastructures, and agricultural areas.
The lack of access to water, hygiene, and sanitation services in the affected regions has increased the risk of spreading of waterborne diseases.
The EU said in statement in Abuja that the funding would help its 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.
Niger would receive €1,350,000 and Nigeria €1,100,000, while Chad and Mali would receive about €1,000,000 each, and Cameroun €650,000 and Burkina Faso €300,000.
The EU said funding is in addition to about €232 million in humanitarian assistance already allocated to these countries so far this year.
In addition, the EU said it has, along with its partners, already responded to the immediate consequences of floods in Liberia, Guinea, Chad, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Mali, through timely adjustments to ongoing actions and/or contribution to the Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez 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.”
Many areas have been impacted way harder than during previous flooding events, with exceptional precipitations recorded in Mali as the highest since 1967.
In Niger, over one million people have been affected, with the number rising to 1,5 million people in Chad, where more rainfall is expected.
In Nigeria, the Northern regions, already impacted by a severe food and nutrition crisis driven by conflict, insecurity and high inflation, are among the hardest hit and the failure of a dam in the Maiduguri area has severely worsened the situation. Approximately, 641,600 people are now estimated to be displaced and more heavy rainfall is forecast.
The floods, coupled with the lack of access to water, hygiene, and sanitation services throughout the region, could lead to increased risk of cholera, especially in the cholera endemic areas.
