The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Friday the worst flooding in six decades in the Republic of Congo has left more than 350,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance.
Speaking at a news conference at agency headquarters in Geneva, OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke told reporters flooding caused by heavy rains late last year created an unprecedented situation in which nine of the country’s 12 provinces were “underwater,” affecting 1.8 million people.
Laerke said the floods have left communities without shelter or access to primary health services. “Villages, schools and health facilities have been flooded and many water points and sanitation facilities are no longer functional," he said.
The OCHA assessment indicated more than 350,000 people in the country need emergency assistance but the agency spokesman said many of the villages can be accessed only by boat or canoe.
Laerke said the U.N. has allocated $3.6 million from its central emergency response fund to address the nation’s most pressing needs. He also appealed to the international community for additional funds to address the crisis.
Above average rainfall during the last half of 2023 in the Republic of Congo, the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and other central and east African nations caused devastating flooding and left hundreds dead and thousands homeless.
Officials have blamed an El Nino weather pattern for the unusually heavy rainfall in the region.
Some information for this report was provided by Agence France-Presse.