Flooding has increased the number of households facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3)

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Crisis (IPC Phase 3) persists in the regions of Tillabéry, Diffa, Tahoua, and Maradi, affecting more people in August 2024 than in recent months following the floods recorded in all regions of the country. These climatic events have not only caused an increase in the number of people in acute food insecurity Crisis (IPC Phase 3) in the regions already affected but also in regions in Stressed (IPC Phase 2), where the number of households in Crisis (IPC Phase 3) rose from 5-9 percent in June and July 2024 to 10-14 percent in August 2024.
Indeed, the heavy rainfall recorded in all regions of the country, with cumulative rainfall exceeding those of 2023 and the five-year average, affected 245,098 people, 131 deaths, 14,384 livestock lost, 1,963 hectares of crops damaged and several dwellings collapsed by August 14, 2024. All regions were affected, but the highest numbers of affected populations were recorded in the Maradi, Zinder, and Tahoua regions. The impact of these floods on household livelihoods has contributed significantly to increases in the number of acutely food-insecure people in all areas of the country, and to higher food prices due to increased transport costs resulting from the deterioration of market supply routes. The impacts of these climatic shocks could lead to declines in agricultural production, even if the expected increases in yields could mitigate these declines. FEWS NET will closely monitor the developments of the flood situation and assess their impact on agricultural production.
Security shocks linked to the activities of armed terrorist groups persist and continue to cause population displacements and disrupt livelihoods and market functionality. Although the number of violent incidents recorded in 2024 is 35 percent lower overall than in 2023, they are more deadly, with an estimated 1,102 victims compared with 451 deaths in 2023, representing a 144 percent increase over 2023 in the conflict hot spots of Tillabéry, Tahoua, Diffa, and Maradi.
The tense socio-political situation between Niger and Benin is at a standstill, affecting the functioning of cross-border flows and economic conditions, characterized by a rise in the headline inflation rate of 15.4 percent in June 2024, due mainly to the historic high food inflation of 24.5 percent. The combined effects on market availability and supply, the significant reduction in volumes of cross-border flows, and the weakness of local supplies following last year's cereal deficit have resulted in food prices reaching levels significantly higher than the previous year and the five-year average. Indeed, prices are 52 percent, 47 percent, 43 percent, and 37 percent higher, respectively, for imported rice, sorghum, millet, and maize than at the same time in 2023, and 63 percent higher for maize and sorghum, 58 percent higher for millet and 55 percent higher for imported rice than the five-year average. However, government measures to ban the export of cereals, especially local rice, and to reduce fuel prices at the pump, combined with the promising outlook for the agropastoral season, have resulted in a downward trend in food prices since the first decade of August 2024, compared with the decades of previous months.

Recommended citation: FEWS NET. Niger Key Message Update August 2024: Flooding has increased the number of households facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3), 2024.

This Key Message Update provides a high-level analysis of current acute food insecurity conditions and any changes to FEWS NET's latest projection of acute food insecurity outcomes in the specified geography. Learn more here.