Nigeria floods: At least 110 die after torrential rains in Mokwa, Niger state
At least 110 people have died in floods caused by torrential rain in central Nigeria, officials have told the BBC.The rainfall lasted for several hours, said the head of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (Nsema), Abullahi Baba-Arah.He added that "surging flood water submerged and washed away over 50 residential houses with their occupants".According to Nsema, the Tiffin Maza and Anguwan Hausawa districts of Mokwa town were worst affected.
Mokwa's District Head, Muhammad Shaba Aliyu, said it has been "60 years" since the community had suffered this kind of flooding."I beg the government to support us," Mr Aliyu said.This is the start of the rainy season in Nigeria.Many parts of northern Nigeria experienced heavy rainfall and flooding in 2024 which caused deaths, displacement of people and destruction of houses and infrastructure.The country also suffered severe flooding in 2022, which forced around 1.3 million people out of the homes and caused more than 600 deaths.Additional reporting from Cecilia Macaulay
You may also be interested in:
Nigeria's floods and drought worsening food insecuritySongs and testimonies from a drowning worldNigeria floods: 'I have nowhere to go'
Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent.Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Joanne Froggatt among signatories calling on Government to take action on Sudan
Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt is among dozens of famous faces who have called on the UK Government to take 'rapid action' and provide humanitarian aid to Sudan. Froggatt is among 50 high-profile people from TV, film, music and sport who have signed an open letter led by children's charity Plan International UK which calls on the Prime Minister to tackle the crisis in Sudan by maintaining funding commitments after announcing a cut in the foreign aid budget. The letter, which was also signed by Warfare's Will Poulter, Bridgerton actress Adjoa Andoh and singer-songwriter Cat Burns, will be delivered to 10 Downing Street on Monday alongside a petition signed by more than 8,500 members of the public. Froggatt said: 'Millions of children have been forced into dangerous, overcrowded camps both within and beyond Sudan. These are not safe places for such young lives. 'Children's lives are now characterised by danger and death as hunger and disease spread while the violence rages on. 'They are suffering in silence. We need to draw attention to this crisis and demand rapid action from the UK Government. By talking about Sudan we can save children's lives.' Since the outbreak of the civil war in April 2023, Sudan has topped the International Rescue Committee's (IRC) Emergency Watchlist, which analyses countries that are most likely to experience a new or worsening humanitarian crisis, for a second consecutive year. The IRC has also described it as 'the largest and fastest displacement crisis in the world' and the 'largest humanitarian crisis on record'. England footballer Lucy Bronze, director Sir Steve McQueen and musician Peter Gabriel have also added their names to the open letter alongside TV cook Delia Smith and boxer Ramla Ali. The letter reads: 'Following over two years of violent conflict, Sudan is now the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with half of the country's population – a staggering 24.6 million people – already facing high levels of acute food insecurity. 'Time is quickly running out. Violence, starvation and disease are killing more and more children every day. The UK Government must do all it can to help save lives before it is too late.' Burns, who is known for her hit song Go, added: 'What's happening in Sudan is devastating. 'Children are being torn from their homes, going hungry, and living through horrors no one should ever face. 'We can't turn away or stay quiet. The world needs to act before even more lives are lost.' The letter also urges the Government to increase international pressure and mediation to ensure a ceasefire as well as providing emergency funding and scaling up mutual aid groups. Poulter, who is known for We're The Millers and The Maze Runner, said: 'The stories about the scale of starvation coming out of Sudan are utterly heart-breaking. 'The situation is quickly escalating into one of the worst famines ever recorded. 'With such an extreme shortage of food, immediate action is needed now to save lives and prevent further suffering. We can't let children and their families in Sudan starve to death.' The letter is supported by a coalition of aid organisations, including the chief executives of Cafod, Save the Children UK, Action Against Hunger, Christian Aid, and leading Sudanese campaigners. Mohamed Kamal, country director for Plan International Sudan, said: 'The sheer scale of the suffering being endured by people in Sudan is almost impossible to comprehend. 'Two years of brutal fighting, severe restrictions on the delivery of life-saving aid and a near-total collapse of the food supply across the country has caused a humanitarian catastrophe on a scale the world hasn't witnessed in generations. 'With every day that passes, more and more children face the unacceptable risk of death from extreme hunger, war and disease. Turning our backs on them would be utterly inhumane.' A spokesperson from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: 'As the Foreign Secretary said, Sudan is suffering one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes on record, which is why we convened leaders from around the world in April to strengthen support for the Sudanese people. 'The UK is doing all we can to provide aid, and last month announced £120 million to support over 650,000 Sudanese people in desperate need. 'The number of people who need help will rise if the warring parties continue to show an appalling disregard for human life by blocking aid routes that must be kept open, accessible and safe.'
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Chester Zoo sees return of rare bat-eared foxes after 30 years
A zoo has welcomed two rare bat-eared foxes, 30 years on from when the animal was last two African foxes, which are known for their 13cm (five inches) tall ears, are said to be settling in well at Chester Maasai and Malindi will live alongside 12 porcupines in the zoo's new Heart of Africa habitat and will play a part in the zoo's conservation White, Chester Zoo's team manager, said: "It's incredibly exciting to welcome bat-eared foxes back to Chester Zoo after a 30-year hiatus and they're a wonderful addition to our new Heart of Africa habitat." "They're a truly unique and fascinating species with some amazing adaptations," he said their "enormous ears aren't just for show – they act like satellite dishes and help the foxes detect the tiniest of movements coming from insects beneath the ground, allowing them to detect prey with pinpoint accuracy". Zoo conservationists brought the sisters over to Chester from a zoo in Paris, France, with one of the sisters set to be introduced to a male fox as part of efforts to safeguard the little-known foxes were given their name due to their distinctive oversized ears and they are found in the open savannahs and arid grasslands of eastern and southern Africa. In the wild, bat-eared foxes face increasing threats, largely due to habitat loss caused by agriculture, human encroachment and hunting, a zoo spokesperson said. David White said that like many species found in the African savannah, bat-eared foxes were under threat as their habitat became more fragmented as a result of human activity."That's why our teams are on the ground in several national parks across Kenya and Uganda safeguarding some of the continent's rarest species like northern giraffe, giant pangolins, mountain bongo and Eastern black rhino," he said. "By protecting these species and their habitats we're also helping many of Africa's little known species like bat-eared foxes, that share the same habitats, to go on to thrive once again." Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
In Uganda, an affordable alternative to dirt floors is a big boost to human health
Simon Tigawalana dreamed for years of doing something about the dirt floors in his small house, blaming them for making his family sick. But in a rural area in one of the world's poorest countries, making them over with concrete was simply out of reach. Then a company called EarthEnable approached him to offer an alternative: a clay-based earthen floor that could give him a durable, sealed floor for less than half the cost of concrete. Tigawalana now has the new floor in two rooms and hopes to add it soon in the last room. 'I'm happy that we now have a decent home and can also comfortably host visitors," said Tigawalana, a 56-year-old father of 16. "Ever since we got a clay floor my kids no longer get cough and flu that used to come from the dust raised while sweeping the dirt floors.' EarthEnable, which seeks to upgrade housing across Africa, has been promoting and installing the clay-based floors in Uganda since 2017. Besides eliminating dust that can irritate breathing, they're credited with reducing infestations of jiggers — a parasitic flea that can burrow into the skin and lead to pain, itching and infection. Uganda's health ministry says poor hygiene due to dirt floors contributes to such infestations. 'Our floors help to prevent pathogens and other illnesses linked to dust floors, since most of these families can't afford hospital care,' said Noeline Mutesi, a sales and marketing manager for EarthEnable. How the floors are built The first step in building the floor is digging and leveling the surface. Then murram — local red soil rich in iron and aluminum oxides — is mixed with sand and water and then compacted. After two weeks of drying time, masons use wooden floats to smooth and further compact the surface. Next is pasting: applying a fine clay screed to further smooth the surface and prepare it for a final sealant, a flaxseed-based varnish that hardens into a durable plastic-like resin. A typical floor costs around 240,000 Uganda shillings (about $65), which Earth Enable says is about 70% cheaper than concrete. Buyers can pay in installments. EarthEnable, a U.S.-based nonprofit, operates for-profit subsidiaries in Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya, and says any profits are invested into startup costs in new markets as well as research and development. EarthEnable said it's installed about 5,000 floors in Uganda, more than 39,000 in Rwanda and more than 100 in Kenya. The company also does wall plastering to help reduce dust, moisture and insect infestations common in mud homes. In Jinja, the company's program employs more than 100 masons from within the community. Many are disadvantaged boys who have dropped out of school because they can't afford fees, said Alex Wanda, a construction officer at the company. 'We focus on employing these young village boys that we train in skills to build these earthen floors, thus creating for them employment opportunities,' Wanda said in an interview. About 42% of Ugandans live in extreme poverty. Its Bureau of Statistics says the country has a housing deficit of 2.6 million units, and it's growing. The country needs to add 300,000 housing units per year to make up the deficit, mainly in rural areas, where many Ugandans live and where housing quality and availability remain pressing concerns. A more sustainable floor than concrete The company also touts the clay floors as a more sustainable alternative to concrete, which besides being more expensive generates major carbon emissions in production. The cement industry is one of Uganda's biggest contributors to carbon emissions, accounting for about 628,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2023, its highest recorded level. More broadly, building and construction accounts for 37% of global emissions, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Uganda, like much of the rest of the world, has seen a rise in extreme weather events made more likely by climate change, including flooding and prolonged drought. 'Initiatives like this are crucial in the global effort to decarbonize the construction sector,' said Penina Atwine, a program officer at the Uganda-based organization Environmental Alert. 'Such innovative local solutions that address both climate change and social needs like EarthEnable's model could inspire similar approaches across the globe." 'Living a better life' with a cleaner floor In the village of Budima, Rehema Namukose spent most of her family's savings to build a house. She couldn't afford a cleaner floor until she worked through EarthEnable to pay for a clay floor in installments. She lives there with her three children and credits the new floor for improving the health of a sickly daughter. 'This is affordable for my family and will help us maintain hygiene,' she says 'We are now living a better life.' ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
