UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is urgently appealing for $10.6 million to address the most pressing needs of 228,000 forcibly displaced people and their host communities across West and Central Africa, where devastating climate-induced torrential rains and floods have wreaked havoc and impacted over 5.1 million people.

In Chad, some 1.9 million people have been affected. Niger (1.4 million) and Nigeria (1.2 million) have also been severely impacted, as well as Cameroon (365,000) and Mali (260,000). The catastrophic effects of flooding are poised to extend well beyond this year’s rainy season, compounding the hardships already faced by vulnerable communities.

The funding is critical to provide life-saving support, including protection, shelter and emergency relief items, and to strengthen preparedness activities.

“UNHCR and its partners are working in line with government response plans to deliver both immediate aid and long-term support to displaced populations and the communities hosting them, who are most affected by this crisis. However, without additional resources, critical needs will go unmet, further increasing the vulnerability of those impacted,” said Abdouraouf Gnon-Kondé, Director of UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for West and Central Africa

The climate crisis is exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and triggering new waves of displacement in regions already hosting large numbers of people uprooted by conflict and insecurity.

Across West and Central Africa, 14 million people have been forcibly displaced, double the number reported in 2019. These overlapping crises highlight the urgent need for better climate resilience, and humanitarian aid to protect the most vulnerable people.

UNHCR will launch its first-ever report analyzing the interplay between conflict, climate and displacement at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku.

Given the vast number of people affected, their growing humanitarian needs, and worsening weather forecasts predicting more extreme weather events, UNHCR declared an emergency in September 2024 for Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Mali to scale up preparedness and response across these operations.