The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has warned that record-breaking floods are ravaging Niger, Mali, and Nigeria, with scores of people being displaced from their homes.

The organisation, in a statement on Friday, said that it was working with partners and government agencies to ensure people reach safety and access to support, adding that the devastating floods have plunged the West Africa region into a state of emergency, with hundreds being killed.

“In Niger, over 841,000 people have been impacted by the floods, with more than 400,000 displaced and hundreds tragically losing their lives; Mali is facing its worst floods since the 1960s, with 343,900 people affected and 55 deaths reported; In Nigeria, heavy rainfall has caused widespread devastation, with the overflowing of the Alau Dam in Maiduguri leading to the worst floods in 30 years.

“Over 239,000 people have been affected, with many lives lost and injuries reported,” the organisation said.

Speaking, Modou Diaw, regional vice president West Africa for the IRC, said the situation is devastating as people in the region are already grappling with rising hunger and alarmingly high malnutrition.

“We are deeply grateful to partners like ECHO, BHA and SIDA for their flexibility in quickly releasing funds to address this disaster. Their funding modalities have allowed us to rapidly prepare and launch responses to support the most vulnerable affected by the floods in Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.

“In places like Mali, it’s women – either widows or women with children – who are most affected in Bamako – they earn their income from small businesses that have been destroyed and often live in mud huts that wouldn’t have withstood the floods.”