Chad's military ruler, Mahamat Idriss Déby, has declared a state of emergency due to exceptional flooding affecting more than a million people. In a televised speech, the general said heavy rains had hit three-quarters of the country, submerged nearly 5,000 sq km (1,930 sq miles) of fields and killed thousands of cattle.
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Floods are not uncommon during Chad's rainy season but this year they came early and were the heaviest in decades. Chad is the world's third-poorest country, according to the United Nations' Human Development Index.
