Chad appeals for aid as dozens killed in floods linked to climate change

Melissa Chemam with RFI

16 August 2024 at 8:06 am·2-min read

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.

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Climate disruption

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