Deadly floods displace half a million in Somalia

Flag of Somalia

Flag of Somalia

from SAAD MUSE in Mogadishu, Somalia
MOGADISHU, (CAJ News) TWO children are among 17 people killed in recent floods in Somalia.

Flooding caused by heavy rains has affected over 500 000 million people in Somalia, of whom 370 000 are displaced from their homes.

Livestock losses have also been reported.

The Federal Government of Somalia and the humanitarian community have launched a Flood Response Plan to seek immediate support for people affected by the crisis.

The plan calls for US$72,5 million (R1 billion) to implement life-saving activities until January 2020.

Hamza Said Hamza, the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, said the needs of the affected communities were huge in regard to shelter, clean water, food, health and protection.
“That is why we are issuing this plan,” he added.

Since late October, the flooding has destroyed farmland and infrastructure and devastated livelihoods. Heavy seasonal rains that began in early September triggered the floods.

The floods came at a time that 4,8 million Somalis were already in desperate need of assistance due, in part, to climate-related cycles of drought and flooding.

The East African country of an estimated 15 million people also suffers insurgency by the Islamist Al-Shabaab group.

– CAJ News

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