Since June 2022, heavy rains have caused severe flooding in large parts of Nigeria and Chad, leaving hundreds of people dead, thousands injured and over a million displaced.
In response to the appeal of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help Nigeria, Switzerland has decided to allocate CHF 750,000 as an emergency response. The floods, which have hit almost all of the country, have affected more than three million people to date. Over 600 people have died, 2,500 have been injured and 1.5 million have been displaced. Houses, infrastructure and farmlands have been damaged or even destroyed, aggravating the existing food insecurity and malnutrition in the country: UN estimates place the total number of people already suffering from food insecurity at 19 million. The floods have also contaminated water sources, increasing the risk of disease.
In Chad, Switzerland had already allocated CHF 500,000 to the World Food Programme (WFP) as an emergency response at the beginning of October to support the people affected in various regions. Since the end of October, the floods have reached the capital; over 90,000 people need emergency shelter. Switzerland has thus decided to respond with an additional CHF 300,000 in aid through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which is currently setting up emergency shelters for the victims.
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