At least 339 people have died, and over 1.1 million have been displaced in Niger due to severe flooding caused by torrential rains. According to Niger’s interior minister, 273 people died in September alone, with more than 700,000 affected by the extreme weather that battered the Sahel nation.
As of September 23, the state news agency, ANP, reported that the floods had impacted over 1.1 million people, resulting in 339 fatalities and leaving 383 others injured. The capital, Niamey, also suffered losses, with nine people reportedly dying due to the floods. The disaster has devastated livelihoods, destroying equipment, livestock, and food supplies.
The historic mosque in Zinder, Niger’s second-largest city, built in the mid-19th century, also fell victim to the floods, adding to the cultural losses.
The National Meteorological Agency highlighted that some regions received up to 200% more rainfall than previous years. The extensive damage to schools and the displacement of families forced the government to postpone the start of the school year to the end of October.
This disaster follows the 2022 rainy season, which claimed 195 lives between June and September. Scientists have consistently warned that climate change, driven by fossil fuel emissions, contributes to the increasing frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme weather events like these floods.