Heavy rains have lashed Niger, causing deadly floods that have killed at least 21 people and affected over 6,000 others in the first few weeks of the rainy season.
The season typically runs from June to September.
Colonel Boubacar Bak, Director-General of Civil Protection, reported on national television that thirteen people died in collapsed homes, while eight drowned due to the heavy downpours.
The Maradi region in south-central Niger appears to be the hardest hit.
Resident Ali Abdou described the devastation, stating that the initial rains of the season had already destroyed houses in his community.
This is not uncommon for Niger. The rainy season frequently brings fatalities, even in desert regions.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs attributes the increased flooding to climate change.
Last year alone, floods claimed 52 lives and impacted 176,000 people.
While Niger’s capital, Niamey, with its two million residents, has thus far been spared, the situation remains precarious.
A mud-brick house belonging to Maiga Harouna, a 56-year-old resident of a Niamey suburb, collapsed during the heavy rain.
“We urgently need government assistance before the next rainfall,” Harouna pleaded.
The government’s plans to help those who lost their homes due to flooding remain unclear.
