Africa has seen a threefold increase in internal displacement since 2009, driven by conflict and worsening climate disasters like flooding and drought.

Wars and climate disasters have led to a significant rise in the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Africa, with the number tripling over the past 15 years, according to new data. The continent now has 35 million IDPs, up from 11.6 million in 2009, when African governments committed to a legally binding agreement to address the causes of displacement.

The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) highlighted in its latest report that while progress has been made, more needs to be done, especially as the threat of flooding and droughts continues to grow. Alexandra Bilak, the director of IDMC, stated, "The displacement situation in Africa is absolutely critical, but not hopeless." She emphasized that many African governments are taking positive steps to address the root causes of displacement, and it is crucial for them to maintain leadership in this effort while receiving support from the international community.

Bilak also stressed the urgency of the situation, stating, "It is not too late to help those whose lives have been upended when they were forced to flee their homes, but there is no time to lose." She added that finding solutions for displaced people is integral to achieving a country’s broader development goals.

Conflict is the leading cause of displacement in Africa, accounting for 32.5 million displaced individuals. The report noted that 80% of these people come from five countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan. The IDMC made a distinction between IDPs (those living away from their homes due to displacement) and the number of displacement incidents (each time a person is forced to leave their home, which can involve multiple moves by the same person).

The report also revealed that climate disasters have caused a sharp increase in displacements, with a sixfold rise in the number of climate-induced displacements from 1.1 million in 2009 to 6.3 million in 2023. Flooding accounted for 75% of climate-related displacements in 2023, while drought was responsible for 11%. Bilak explained, "Disasters are displacing more and more people each year, especially floods, which displace people across the continent." She also pointed out that conflict and climate disasters often intersect, such as in Nigeria, where people fleeing Boko Haram violence are forced to flee again due to annual floods.

A spokesperson from the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs remarked that flooding is increasingly driving mass displacement, necessitating humanitarian intervention. "There can be no humanitarian solution to the climate crisis – but the humanitarian system is adapting and responding to help people most affected by emergencies and building resilience to climate shocks," the spokesperson said.