On Friday, Mali declared a state of national disaster due to severe floods that have claimed the lives of 30 people and impacted over 47,000 others since the start of the rainy season, according to an official statement from the council of ministers.
Flooding is a recurring challenge in West and Central Africa, particularly from June to September when heavy rains sweep through the Sahel, the arid region just south of the Sahara desert.
This year has been no exception, with the U.N.’s humanitarian agency, OCHA, reporting that more than 716,000 people have been affected by floods across the region so far. The season is expected to bring higher-than-average rainfall, exacerbating the situation.