Droughts are forcing human migration toward cities and rivers across most of Africa: study

[...]

Across most of Africa, drought is driving people who live in rural settlements closer to rivers and cities, according to a new study published in the journal Earth's Future.

[...]

The study, "Drought and Human Mobility in Africa," warns this human migration will likely intensify as climate change leads to more severe and frequent droughts.

[...]

Ceola and her co-authors found people facing drought conditions tend to move close to rivers so they can maintain access to water for agricultural activity, and to cities because they offer diverse economic opportunities when drought makes agriculture too difficult.

[...]

The cycle was especially strong in Burundi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe in Eastern Africa; Chad in Central Africa; Guinea and Guinea-Bissau in Western Africa; and Namibia and Swaziland in Southern Africa. In Southern Africa, every country studied saw drought-related migration toward rivers over the study period.

[...]