Flash floods triggered by heavy rains have affected more than 45,000 people across Somalia since mid-April, with at least four reported fatalities, according to the United Nations.
In a report released on Wednesday, April 30, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the floods are worsening an already dire humanitarian situation in a country grappling with reduced international aid and increasingly extreme weather due to climate change.
“Since April 15, flash floods due to heavy to moderate rains in Somalia have affected over 45,000 people and swept away four people, including two children and a woman,” the report stated.
The OCHA highlighted that the crisis comes at a time when non-governmental organisations — often responsible for frontline aid — are dealing with severe funding cuts, hampering their ability to respond effectively to the growing needs.
In the Middle Shabelle region, some 6,000 people were forced to flee after the Shabelle River burst its banks on April 29, inundating homes and destroying crops. Families have since relocated to makeshift camps on higher ground but are now facing severe shortages of food, safe drinking water, and medical care.
“The flooding swept away homes and inundated crops, disrupting livelihoods in one of Somalia’s most agriculturally vital regions,” the UN agency noted.
Just a day earlier, another 9,500 people were displaced in central Galmudug State after flash floods followed light to moderate rainfall, adding to the growing crisis.
The situation is exacerbated by the ongoing restructuring of USAID, the United States’ primary foreign aid agency. The move has weakened the global humanitarian response, with many NGOs in Somalia having to suspend, scale back, or shut down life-saving operations in flood-hit areas.
Last year, Somalia endured one of its worst flood disasters in decades. Over 100 people died and more than one million were displaced as torrential rains linked to the El Niño weather phenomenon swept across the country.
