Reports from government and UN sources on Thursday revealed that more than two million people in the Horn of Africa have been uprooted from their residences due to relentless rains and flooding.
The grim reality further indicated that nearly 300 lives have been lost across Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia in the wake of this calamitous weather pattern.
The downpours, attributed to the El Nino phenomenon, have struck the region at a time when it was beginning to recover from a severe drought, the worst in 40 years, which had plunged millions into dire food shortages.
“It’s a dire situation,” expressed Action Against Hunger in a statement, underscoring the dual burden faced by regions struggling to rebound from prolonged droughts now inundated with floods, just ahead of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.
Despite Africa’s minimal contribution to global carbon emissions, the Horn of Africa remains profoundly susceptible to climate change, evidenced by the escalation in both frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
This latest catastrophe has exacerbated an already severe humanitarian crisis in Somalia, a nation grappling with poverty and a protracted Islamist insurgency.
Unprecedented Flooding in Somalia
Somalia, considered one of the most impoverished countries globally, has witnessed more than 100 fatalities and the displacement of over one million people due to flooding, according to a joint UN and Somali officials’ statement released Thursday.
Mogadishu authorities recently declared a state of emergency due to what the UN termed “once in a century” flooding, emphasizing the looming threat of disease outbreaks.
The inundation has ravaged homes and agricultural land, isolating numerous communities with damaged infrastructure, closed medical facilities, and disrupted education services.
Approximately 1.5 million children under five face acute malnutrition between August 2023 and July 2024, as highlighted in the joint UN-Somali statement.
“Recurrent climate shocks, widespread insecurity and rampant poverty have pushed the people of Somalia to breaking point,” UN envoy George Conway said.
The statement cautioned that floodwaters could submerge over 1.5 million hectares (3.7 million acres) of farmland by December.
To alleviate the crisis, the Somali government announced the receipt of 25,000 tonnes of grain from Russia, to be urgently distributed among flood-affected individuals, with an additional 25,000 tonnes anticipated in December.
Although humanitarian aid averted famine in Somalia, the UN World Food Programme cautioned earlier this month that approximately 4.3 million people—25% of the population—would confront acute hunger by year-end.
Extent of Impact in Kenya and Ethiopia
Neighboring Kenya reported a death toll of 136 individuals and over 460,000 displaced due to the flooding, according to the interior ministry’s update on Thursday.
In Ethiopia, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported 57 fatalities and more than 600,000 displaced individuals.
The Somali region in eastern Ethiopia suffered significantly, grappling with a cholera outbreak that claimed at least 23 lives, with 772 confirmed cases, revealed Save the Children on Thursday.
“The cholera outbreak in Ethiopia and across the Horn of Africa could spiral out of control if swift action isn’t taken by government and donors to provide clean drinking water and sanitation facilities for communities forced out of their homes by floodwaters,” it warned.
