(IN PICTURES) 2023 Climate Change Disasters in Africa
Hollins Esegba
The effects of climate change proved to be more real than speculated in Africa as extreme weather disasters trailed each month of 2023 following the impacts of global warming.
Again, Africa, one of the most vulnerable continents in the world, has been at the receiving end of several impacts of global warming, with cases of earthquakes, flash floods, and droughts, among others.
According to an analysis by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), seven of the 10 countries mostly impacted by climate change are in Africa.
Here are the most defining climate change disasters for each month in 2023:
January: South Africa Heatwave
With eight deaths recorded, temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius in the semi-arid Northern Cape province
February and March: Cyclone Freddy struck Mozambique, Mauritius, Reunion, Malawi, and Zimbabwe
Over 1,000 lives were killed with over 500,000 people affected
March: Drought across the Horn of Africa
Thousands have been greatly impacted with food insecurity and disease outbreak in large areas of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia in East Africa
April, May, and June: Floods in DR Congo and Rwanda
Death toll hit over 570 and thousands were displaced in both countries. 5000 homes affected
July and August: Wildfires broke out in Algeria
Thirty-four people were killed as heatwaves triggered wildfires in the mountainous provinces of Béjaïa and Bouïra regions in Algeria
August: Floods in Nigeria
33,000 persons affected, 7,353 persons were displaced across 10 states with 1,679 farmlands submerged, according to NEMA
September: Deadly earthquake in Morocco
More than 2,946 people were killed, 5,000 people injured, and 50,000 homes destroyed in the Marrakech and Atlas mountain region. WHO says over 300,000 people were affected
September: Devastating Storm Daniel in Libya
More than 6000 people were killed as floods were triggered by Storm Daniel, displacing over 40,000The city of Derna and other regions were affected as 10,000 to 100,000 were declared missing
October: Destructive Floods in Cameroon
More than 100 people were killed with dozens injured as deadly floods washed away over 30 houses in the district of Mbankolo, northwest of Yaounde, Cameroon, some with residents in it.
November: El Nino caused heavy rains and flash floods in Somalia and Kenya
Dozens of people were killed, leaving over 300,000 people displaced
December: Flash floods in South Africa
Over 21 deaths have been recorded after rains triggered floods in Kwazulu-Natal and Ladysmith
