In the year 2024, Central Africa faced unprecedented levels of flooding, leading to catastrophicindividual and economic losses that intensified pre-existing regional instability and heightenedvulnerabilities within communities. This alarming situation was primarily driven by the impactsof climate change, which has destabilized weather patterns and increased the frequency andseverity of extreme weather events throughout the continent.
According to projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), thefrequency and intensity of heavy precipitation events across Africa are expected to escalate withevery degree of global warming. This increase in heavy rainfall significantly amplifies the risk offlooding, particularly in regions like Central Africa, which have already been grappling with theconsequences of climate-induced disasters. Historical patterns have shown a concerningcorrelation between climate change and the rise in flood occurrences, and the situation isexpected to worsen.
As climate change continues to bring about more frequent and intense flooding events, CentralAfrica is poised to confront an escalating risk of harm to human life, health, and livelihoods.Communities will face threats to their economic development as infrastructure is devastated, andan additional burden will be placed on regions that are already politically unstable.Chad and South Sudan have been among the countries most severely impacted by the recentfloods and droughts. The consequences have been devastating, with entire villages submerged bythe flooding while other villages in other parts of countries simultaneously facing severedroughts with thousands of livestock herds and crops destroyed resulting in thousands of familieslosing everything they owned.
For example, The United Nations reported that between July and September 2024, historicflooding in Chad resulted in the deaths of over 341 individuals, the destruction of more than164,000 homes, and left approximately 1.5 million people affected across various provinces.Displaced individuals were forced to abandon refugee camps and seek shelter in areas devoid ofessential resources such as food, healthcare services, and proper sanitation facilities.Additionally, stagnant water left behind by the floods has created a breeding ground formosquitoes, heightening the threat of mosquito-borne diseases, which pose severe health risks toaffected populations.
The repercussions of the flooding extend beyond immediate loss of life and shelter. It isestimated that the floods ravaged more than 250,000 hectares of cropland and eradicatedapproximately 30,000 heads of livestock, further exacerbating food insecurity in a nation alreadybattling hunger. The Red Cross Climate Centre has warned that climate change has likelyexacerbated the severity of this crisis, rendering the population even more vulnerable.Concurrently, South Sudan is grappling with a dual climate crisis, characterized by both severedroughts and devastating floods that are wreaking havoc on the lives of millions. This precarioussituation has been exacerbated by rising global temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns, and theencroachment of the Sahara Desert, all contributing to increased food insecurity and massdisplacement. In this country, unprecedented flooding has submerged vast expanses of land,while other regions face dire drought conditions, showcasing the complex and dual threats ofclimate change.
Central Africa is further complicated by ongoing violent conflicts and widespread displacement,making it one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to the impacts of climate change. Thecombination of flooding and sustained increases in air temperatures serves as “multiplierthreats,” aggravating the existing vulnerabilities of Central African nations. This interlinkedcrisis worsens poverty levels and intensifies regional political fragility, as well as compoundingcommunity vulnerabilities such as disease outbreaks and food shortages. The disruption causedby flooding can interfere with the migratory patterns of herders, pushing them into unfamiliarterritories and igniting territorial disputes and resource-based conflicts that exacerbate alreadyheightened tensions.
Moreover, in countries experiencing political transitions, such as Chad, DRC, Sudan, SouthSudan, and the Central African Republic, the challenges of responding to climate-relateddisasters can overwhelm newly formed governments. This situation can trigger waves of populardiscontent and further displacement, compounding the already complex web of challenges thesenations face as they strive for stability and progress in the face of climatic adversities.Recognizing the urgent need for accountability and legal clarity, more than 50 civil societyorganizations across Africa have joined to form the African Climate Platform (ACP). Thecoalition is petitioning the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights for an advisory opinionthat would affirm the duties of African states to protect people from the foreseeable harms ofclimate change, not just by cutting emissions, but by building systems that safeguard lives andrights.
Central Africa’s experience, where a single storm can unravel fragile governance, displacethousands, and spike food insecurity, is one of the emblematic cases anchoring ACP’s legaleffort. It underscores a simple truth: in regions marked by fragility, resilience is not an option, itis a legal obligation.