Attachments
HUMANITARIAN OVERVIEW
Heavy rains from July to September 2024 caused flooding in several localities in the Far North. According to the Regional Delegation of Health, 60,777 households, including 123,441 children under 5 and 26,591 pregnant women were severely affected by the floods and at least 17 persons died due to drowning or the collapsing of houses. As of 13 September. OCHA reports that 1,678 heads of livestock were lost and 13,471 hectares of agricultural land were destroyed. Read the story of Djara and her family who are affected by the floods in Yagoua, Mayo Danay.
The rains also continue to severely impede access to education, as schools were destroyed or damaged or cut off by the floods. Education authorities stated that education activities could not resume at the start of the new school year in 206 primary and 55 secondary schools in 18 sub-divisions in the Logone-et-Chari (7) and Mayo-Danay (11) divisions, affecting approximatively 103,906 students and 1,418 teachers. It is likely that without support, the affected children will not resume school for several months.
Furthermore, 65 health facilities have been affected by the floods to varying degrees in 15 out of the 19 health districts of the Far North. Floods also expose the population to the potential resurgence of cholera and other waterborne diseases, as well as increased cases of malaria. Untreated, these diseases can all be deadly for children and increase the risk of malnutrition. It is estimated that there will be an increase of about 3 per cent of children affected by malnutrition in the coming months – adding another 727 children to the projected case load of 22,185 children with severe acute malnutrition to be treated in the Far North in 2024.
Many people who lost their homes are being hosted by other families in the same or nearby locations. Some are sleeping in public buildings or out in the open, close to their damaged or destroyed shelters. The sub-Prefect of Maga reports almost 19,000 people displaced in his sub-division alone as of 12 September. Displacement figures are still being consolidated.
The rising river levels are raising concerns about a deterioration of the situation in the coming days and weeks. There are concerns that the dyke of Maga might break, which would leave large areas in the Maga sub-division under water.
On 13 September, the Minister of Territorial Administration announced that President Paul Biya had released CFA 350 million (around 590,100 USD), in aid for flood victims.