Floods threaten Niger's historic 'gateway to the desert'
The Peninsula
Agadez, Niger: Its winding allies, ancient mosque and ochre earthen houses helped bestow on Agadez its UNESCO World Heritage status, but the town in N...
Agadez, Niger: Its winding allies, ancient mosque and ochre earthen houses helped bestow on Agadez its UNESCO World Heritage status, but the town in Niger is now under threat from flooding.
Overflowing rivers are no longer a rarity in the vast arid nation on the edge of the Sahara Desert.
But the rainy season this year has been particularly devastating, killing at least 270 people and affecting hundreds of thousands.
In Agadez -- known as the gateway to the desert -- forecasters say it's "regularly" raining, even in areas where normally "rain never falls".
Former mayor Abdourahamane Tourawa called the downpours "particularly aggressive".
