Devastating Floods in the Sahel: Entire Regions Isolated and Considerable Human and Material Losses Recorded
For several weeks, the Sahel has been hit by heavy rains and floods. The week of August 11 to 18
was particularly wet, with abnormally high rainfall across the entire strip from Sudan to Senegal.
Even the northern regions of the Sahel, which usually receive little rainfall, were very affected. As
a result, many towns and villages are under water, and hundreds of people have lost their lives,
either by drowning or as result of homes collapse.
The material damage is considerable: bridges have collapsed, roads are completely flooded and
impassable, hundreds of houses have been destroyed, health centers ravaged, fields damaged,
hundreds of tons of food washed away by the waters, as well as thousands of herds of cattle carried away by the currents. Populations, already vulnerable due to the climate and security crisis, find themselves destitute and in mourning.
According to civil protection reports, several towns and villages are isolated from the rest of the
country. This is the case, for example, of Gao in Mali, which was cut off from the rest of the
country after the flood of August 16, 2024. In Niger, national road RN1 in Soray, about fifteen
kilometers from Niamey, was damaged and flooded on August 16, isolating the capital from six
regions of the country, a vital route for the supply of fuel and food to the city.
