UN's office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

AFP - At least 36 people have died in flooding in Niger since the start of the rainy season in June, most of them in northern desert areas, UN figures showed Tuesday.

Over that period, the floods have affected a total of 130,468 people, destroying 7,212 homes, 8,162 hectares of crops and 31,118 head of cattle, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

The battle to oust the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from its stronghold of Raqqa is creating daunting challenges for aid groups responding to the latest humanitarian crisis in the Syrian conflict.

A convoy carrying desperately needed food and medicine headed to the hunger-stricken Syrian town of Madaya on Jan. 14, the second delivery of aid this week after months of government siege.

The UN's humanitarian chief fiercely condemned attacks against civilians in Syria at a press conference in Damascus on Aug. 17, a day after one of the bloodiest government raids in the four-year war.  

"I am horrified by the total disrespect for civilian life in this conflict," Stephen O'Brien said in a statement.