Floods in Chad's northeastern province of Tibesti have claimed the lives of at least 54 people, authorities have said. The heavy rains are also causing devastation in neighbouring Niger and Sudan, with more rainfall expected across central Africa due to climate change.
Most of those dead and missing in Chad are believed to be foreign informal gold miners working in the province, said Brahim Edji Mahamat, head of a local association.
The flooding, which followed rainfall from last Friday to Wednesday, has swept away thousands of shops and vehicles.
The torrential rains are a climate event that strikes the region every five to 10 years, said Idriss Abdallah Hassan, head of the national meteorological agency. He added that the area usually struggles to receive 200 millimetres of rain annually.
Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti is a vast, mountainous desert region spanning three northern regions of Chad, reaching up to the border with Libya.
Officials in Chad are appealing for international assistance to help save thousands of people affected by the ongoing floods.
Climate disruption
Over the past three days, some 53,000 people have been forced to flee several towns and villages in the Sila region, a southeastern province of Chad bordering Sudan and the Central African Republic.
In Niger, the entire country is now affected by heavy rains, which are typical in the south during the rainy season but have been exacerbated this year by global warming and the El Nino phenomenon.
The excess rainfall ranges from 50 to 400 millimetres above normal levels, in areas where it usually rains between 100 and 600 millimetres per year.
Many roads have been blocked, according to RFI's correspondent in Niger. Authorities have reported 94 deaths and more than 135,156 people affected since June, when the rainy season began.
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Meanwhile, neighbouring Cameroon is facing the opposite problem - severe drought - with officials there also seeking assistance.
Appeal for help
Over the course of March and April, torrential rains already killed one person and injured 45 more in the southern Chadian provinces of Mandoul and Logone Oriental.
Local authorities reported that 650 households (3,760 people) were affected, with 692 houses collapsing, 20 classrooms damaged, 700 trees uprooted, 2,000 sacks of cereals ruined, and 130 heads of cattle missing.
Initial assessments by local authorities identified urgent needs for food, shelter, and other essential items.
UN agencies have identified securing food assistance as the most critical gap.
Heavy rains and river flooding, typically affecting the southern provinces, have become increasingly volatile and severe due to climate change.
The 2023 season was marked by critically low rainfall, significantly reducing crop production. However, in 2022, over 1.9 million people were affected by nationwide flooding, including nearly 750,000 in the southern provinces.
Authorities estimate that one million people will face food insecurity during the 2024 lean season (June to August) in these regions.
This number could increase dramatically without emergency assistance and livelihood support.
The UN said it hopes to provide critical humanitarian aid to over 1.6 million people in Chad's southern provinces.
