Torrential rains during the Sahel’s rainy season (July to September) caused widespread flooding, displacing millions and submerging tens of thousands of hectares of cropland across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan. Meanwhile, military coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have disrupted governance and climate adaptation projects. Political isolation from Western nations has further hindered access to international climate finance, leaving communities struggling to cope with extreme weather events. Organizations like the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) emphasize empowering local communities through initiatives like Water User Associations and agroecology. These efforts focus on sustainable land and water management, leveraging local knowledge for resilience. Despite the Sahel’s potential for renewable energy and sustainable agriculture, political instability, weak governance and funding gaps have slowed progress. As the first light pierced through storm clouds, swollen rivers spilled over their banks, sweeping through villages across the Sahel. In countries ranging from Niger , Mali and Burkina Faso to Nigeria, Chad and Sudan , families scrambled to salvage belongings as muddy water filled their homes. Along the riverbanks, farmers waded through flooded fields, trying desperately to rescue their crops and animals. This year’s rainy season in the Sahel, from July to September, turned roads into rivers and villages into islands , as the relentless rains showed no sign of easing. These scenes, as surreal as they are tragic, are a stark reminder of the Sahel’s growing vulnerability to climate change. Lying just south of the Sahara Desert, the Sahel region has long grappled with extreme weather, but recent changes in rainfall patterns have pushed communities to the brink. This year, rainfall in parts of the region has surged to levels many times exceeding the historical average, transforming the landscape into a vast, inundated expanse. Satellite images reveal the devastating toll: tens of […]