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West and Central Africa: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (18 - 24 September 2018)

Attachments

CAMEROON

EDUCATION SUFFERS IN CONFLICT-HIT WEST

The conflict in the country’s North-Western and South-Western regions has gravely affected learning. In one of the latest incidents, armed elements on 16 September attacked a school outside Buea, the capital of South-West region.

Several schools remain shut two weeks after the start of the current academic year. Tens of thousands of children have been deprived of learning since the crisis erupted two years ago or forced to relocate to other regions to attend school. Of the 237,000 students enrolled for the 2017/18 academic year in the South-West, only 63,000 completed the year. In the NorthWest, the primary school enrolment dropped to 131,000 in the 2017/18 compared to 387,000 the previous academic year, according to the Ministry of Education.

GHANA

FLOODS KILL 34, AFFECT 52,000

Floods triggered by heavy rainfall and the spillage from a dam in neighbouring Burkina Faso on 31 August have killed at least 34 people and affected 52,000 others in Ghana’s Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions according to the National Disaster Management Organization. The floods have destroyed farms, houses, roads and other infrastructure. UN agencies and the authorities have conducted an assessment to determine the impact of the floods and provided initial assistance to communities displaced by the floods.

MALI

AID WORKER KILLED IN GAO

Armed individuals shot an aid worker on 18 September in the northern Gao region. He was attacked while on his way back from a field assignment near the border with Niger and died while being evacuated to hospital. The attackers stole his motorbike and other belongings. Insecurity in northern Mali is a major barrier to humanitarian operations.

OVER 100,000 AFFECTED BY FLOODS

Torrential rains and flooding have affected 105,000 people across the country, almost 10 times as many as in 2017 when 11,000 people were affected. Timbuktu, Segou, Gao, Sikasso and Kidal are the worst affected regions. The rains have exceeded forecasts in all regions across country, according to meteorologists.

Food, water, sanitation, hygiene, shelter and basic household items are the major needs, according to an initial assessment by local authorities and humanitarian actors.
Response coordination is ongoing. There are worries that schools occupied by those displaced by floods may not open in time, disrupting learning.

NIGER

VIOLENCE DISPLACES 10,000 IN TAHOUA REGION

Violence by armed groups and intercommunity clashes since the beginning of the year have displaced 10,091 people in Tillia department in the western Tahoua region, according to an assessment conducted on 5 – 10 September.
The displaced have settled in three sites.
Water and education are their main needs.
The neighbouring Tillaberi region is home to 32,183 new IDPs who have also fled violence and threats by armed groups as well as intercommunity conflict.

NIGERIA

FLOODS FORCE SCHOOLS CLOSURE IN ANAMBRA

The authorities in the southern Anambra state on 18 September ordered the closure of all primary and secondary schools in Ogbaru locality as part of safety measures following heavy floods that have displaced more than 1,100 people in the state. The National Emergency Management Agency on 17 September declared national disaster in Anambra and three other states due to extensive floods. Following the declaration of disaster, UN agencies are supporting Government relief response.

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