Prior to the catastrophic flooding that ravaged Mallam Fatori, headquarters of the Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State, the town was a safe haven for persons displaced by Boko Haram insurgents from neighbouring towns.
Early this year, about 4,000 Nigerian refugees from Diffa, one of the seven regions in Niger Republic, were resettled in Mallam Fatori.
READ: Bizarre Flooding Splits Yobe, Borno, Kills 4
HumAngle reported that the displaced persons were camped in temporary shelters in the town after authorities had conducted some level of work on facilities and infrastructure as part of the Borno State government’s resettlement policy. That was as a result of the torrential rainfall and a high volume of water that caused the Komadougou River in Yobe State to overflow, worsening the already existing humanitarian situation in the town. The river which discharges into Lake Chad has washed away several communities from both countries.
However, the victims’ tragic experience is not limited to flooding alone. Insurgency is also hindering access to basic needs and humanitarian assistance.
Over 100,000 victims who were living as refugees in Niger and some internally displaced persons from Abadam have been relocated from the state capital, Maiduguri, to Damasak town, according to the United Nations humanitarian body in 2021.
It reported that the Komadougou riverine areas originating from Nigeria, have swept through communities and farmlands where thousands of people were affected, and large areas of crops were submerged.
