Some 7,077 households nationwide have been hit by flooding, leaving 47,374 people displaced or affected, the government said in a statement after a special cabinet meeting.

In the capital Bamako, some 563 households and 4,639 people were affected, with five deaths. The worst-hit area was the region of Gao in the north with 9,936 people affected, and six deaths.

Heavy rains have fallen across the entire Sahel, with flooding leaving 217 dead in neighbouring Niger and dozens in Chad.

Mali's cabinet allocated 4 billion CFA francs ($7 million) to stockpile needed foods and to assist affected households.