In late October, the United Nations turned its attention to two linked disasters in West Africa, where the slow arithmetic of water and hunger is reshaping ordinary lives. In Nigeria, the worst floods in a decade have touched most of the country, pushing millions from their homes and burdening children most of all, while cholera spreads in the northeast. Across the border in Burkina Faso, conflict and blockades have cut communities off from food and care, leaving families to survive on whatever the land can still offer. It is a reminder that when nature and human violence arrive together, the
Nigeria's Worst Floods in a Decade Displace 1.3 Million; Burkina Faso Faces Rising Hunger
Over 600 people have died in Nigeria's floods and 1.3 million are displaced; 319 cholera deaths were reported in the northeast, and displaced families in Djibo, Burkina Faso, have survived on leaves and salt.
Leaves and salt, for weeks
In late October, the United Nations turned its attention to two linked disasters in West Africa, where the slow arithmetic of water and hunger is reshaping ordinary lives. In Nigeria, the worst floods in a decade have touched most of the country, pushing millions from their homes and burdening children most of all, while cholera spreads in the northeast. Across the border in Burkina Faso, conflict and blockades have cut communities off from food and care, leaving families to survive on whatever the land can still offer. It is a reminder that when nature and human violence arrive together, the people who suffer most are those with the least power to choose where they stand.
On Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed deep sorrow over the worst floods Nigeria has seen in a decade. More than 2.8 million people have been affected, 1.3 million have been driven from their homes, and over 600 have died. Floods have reached 34 of the country's 36 states, and about 200,000 houses have been partly or fully damaged, deepening the cost of living for families already under strain.
Children carry much of this burden. UNICEF reports that 60 percent of those needing help are children, who face heightened risks of waterborne disease, drowning and malnutrition. Cristian Munduate, UNICEF's representative in Nigeria, spoke of their extreme vulnerability, including the emotional toll of displacement. Cholera has already spread through Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, where 319 people had died by mid-October, and the rains are expected to continue for several more weeks.
The same day, Martin Griffiths, the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, concluded a fact-finding mission to Burkina Faso, where 4.9 million people, a quarter of the population, now need emergency assistance. In Djibo, displaced people told him they had eaten only leaves and salt for weeks, and women were crossing control lines at night in search of food. Their request was simple: open the road so food can reach their children. Griffiths met the new military leader, Ibrahim Traoré, urging protection of civilians and safe access for aid, and noted that peaceful paths to solutions still exist.
Funding remains the hard edge of both crises. The $805 million plan for Burkina Faso is less than a third financed, even as the UN and its partners have fed 1.8 million people and helped 740,000 reach healthcare in the first nine months of the year. In Nigeria, the coming weeks of rain and the rising cholera count will shape what comes next.
On Friday, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, put out a statement of sadness over the worst floods Nigeria has seen in a decade. By the UN's count, more than 2.8 million people have been affected. Of those, 1.3 million have been driven from their homes, and hundreds have lost their lives.
The scale is national. The floods have reached 34 of Nigeria's 36 states, and more than 600 people have died. About 200,000 houses have been partially or fully damaged. The statement, issued on Guterres's behalf, also said infrastructure and farmland have been damaged, which it said is worsening the cost of living across the country. Guterres offered condolences to the Nigerian government and the affected families, and restated the UN's commitment to supporting the government through what it called a challenging time.
Children make up a large share of the need. UNICEF said 60 per cent of the people requiring help are children, and that they face heightened risks of waterborne disease, drowning and malnutrition. Cristian Munduate, UNICEF's representative in Nigeria, described children and adolescents in flooded areas as being in an extremely vulnerable situation. She said they are especially exposed to waterborne illness and to emotional and psychological distress, and that UNICEF is working with the government and partners to deliver life-saving assistance. The immediate priorities for children are health, water, sanitation and hygiene, along with shelter and food.
Disease is already part of the picture. In the northeastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, 7,485 cholera cases and 319 related deaths had been reported as of 12 October. The rains are expected to continue for several weeks, and humanitarian needs are expected to rise with them.
The same day, a second crisis in the region came into focus. Martin Griffiths, the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, wrapped up a short fact-finding mission to Burkina Faso, a landlocked West African country. He said needs there are rising fast: 4.9 million people, a quarter of the population, need emergency assistance, which is 40 per cent more than at the start of the year. One in ten Burkinabe, he said, has been displaced from home by conflict and climate shocks.
Insecurity from extremist armed groups operating across much of the Sahel, together with blockades in many areas, has isolated communities and left them short of aid. In the town of Djibo, Griffiths met displaced people who told him they had eaten only leaves and salt for weeks. He said women are risking their lives by crossing lines of control at night to look for food. Families there gave him a simple request: open the road so food can reach their children. Community leaders asked the people in charge to open roads for food, water and medicine. Griffiths said peaceful initiatives to find solutions exist and that there is still hope.
Griffiths also met Burkina Faso's new military leader, Ibrahim Traoré, who was sworn in on Friday and vowed to defeat terrorism in the north. He replaces a leader who had himself seized power in a coup in January. Griffiths said he stressed the protection of civilians, including those caught in the conflict, and asked the transitional president to ensure a conducive environment for humanitarian operations and access to everyone in need.
Money is short. The UN's US$805 million response plan for Burkina Faso is less than a third funded. In the first nine months of the year, the UN and its partners provided food assistance to 1.8 million people and helped 740,000 reach healthcare in areas where facilities have closed and supplies are lacking. In Nigeria, the rains are still falling, and the cholera count in the northeast is the figure to watch.
Citations marquantes
Children and adolescents in flood-affected areas are in an extremely vulnerable situation.— Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria
Humanitarian needs are rising fast.— Martin Griffiths, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator
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