As torrential rains across Central and West Africa have unleashed the most catastrophic floods in decades, residents of Maiduguri, the capital of the fragile Nigerian state of Borno — which has been at the center of an Islamic extremists' insurgency — said they have seen it all.

Torrential rains have led to disastrous floods across Central and West Africa, affecting over 4 million people. In Maiduguri, Nigeria, hundreds have been killed or displaced. The floods have worsened humanitarian crises previously caused by insurgencies and have highlighted Africa's vulnerability to extreme weather conditions.

West Africa faces more heavy rains this week after flooding in a region that’s seen at least 2.3 million people displaced by rising waters in 2024 alone.

Catholic leaders across West and Central Africa are calling for assistance following unprecedented and deadly floods that have swept through the regions.

Flooding caused by the rain has devastated cities and towns across west and central Africa in recent days, leaving more than 1,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands of homes destroyed.