West and Central Africa: Latest events at a glance (26 November - 2 December 2024)

Africa

Internal displacement in Africa triples in 15 years

By 2023, Africa had 35 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), nearly half of the global total, according to a new report from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Conflict and violence caused 32.5 million displacements, with 80 per cent concentrated in five countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo (6.7 million), Ethiopia (4.5 million), Nigeria (3.4 million), Somalia (3.9 million), and Sudan (9.1 million). Disaster-related displacements rose nearly sixfold, from 1.1 million in 2009 to 6.3 million in 2023, mainly due to floods. In West and Central Africa, the Lake Chad basin hosts significant displacement, with over 5 million people affected by conflict in Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger. Central Africa saw nearly 9.1 million IDPs, mostly due to ongoing conflict in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Kampala Convention, adopted in 2009, has led to progress, but ongoing conflict and climate change continue to drive displacement, highlighting the need for increased peacebuilding, climate action, and development investments.

West and Central Africa

Floods set to worsen the humanitarian situation in the region

Floods in 2024 have affected 7.2 million people across West and Central Africa, displacing over 1.1 million in 13 countries.
Over 642,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed, 1,038 schools impacted, and 218 healthcare facilities disrupted as of 20 November. The floods have devastated agriculture, affecting 960,000 hectares of cropland and causing the loss of 128,000 cattle. Education and healthcare access remain critical challenges, with many schools repurposed as shelters. The escalating crisis threatens food security and livelihoods across the region, surpassing the impacts of previous years.
Governments and humanitarian partners continue issuing alerts to meet urgent needs.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Over 6,000 GBV incidents reported in the first half of the year in Ituri

On 25 November, Ituri provincial authorities and humanitarian partners launched the 16-day campaign targeting women and girls. According to the authorities, the general protection context has continued to deteriorate since 2023, with 6,286 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) in the first half of 2024, a rise from 5,219 during the same period last year. Over 54 per cent of the reported cases involved rape. Humanitarian partners note that the reported cases likely underestimate the true scale due to stigma, fear, and under reporting. Armed conflict, population displacement, insecurity, and limited access to services continue to worsen the protection context in Ituri province, in the east of the country. Recommendations include strengthening accountability for security forces, ensuring robust protection of civilians against human rights abuses, fighting impunity for GBV perpetrators, and increasing funding for GBV programmes.

Over 49,000 Mpox cases and 1,193 deaths reported since January

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported 893 new suspected mpox cases between 18 and 24 November, including 42 confirmed cases and nine deaths, contributing to a national caseload of 49,056 suspected cases, including 10,846 confirmed cases, and 1,193 deaths since January 2024. To address the outbreak, vaccination campaigns have reached at least 52,173 people across the provinces of Equateur, Sankuru,
Sud-Kivu, Sud-Ubangi, Tshopo, and Kinshasa (Kokolo Health Zone). These efforts are supported by ongoing surveillance, public health interventions, and community engagement to curb the spread of the disease.