The United Nations cautioned on Tuesday that by the year’s end, a quarter of Somalia’s population will confront “crisis-level hunger” due to the country grappling with deadly floods.
Intense rains leading to flash floods in the troubled Horn of Africa nation have displaced roughly half a million individuals from their residences, with the government reporting more than 30 casualties.
The World Food Programme from the UN stated that the flooding has devastated communities already in the process of recuperating from the worst drought in four decades, a situation that pushed millions to the brink of starvation.
Despite humanitarian aid preventing famine, the WFP highlighted that Somalia is still contending with the most severe levels of hunger it has experienced in more than a decade.
Nonetheless, the WFP highlighted that substantial funding shortages have limited its capacity to offer food assistance to less than half of the individuals most in need.
“But with a quarter of Somalia’s population –- 4.3 million people –- forecast to face crisis-level hunger or worse… by the end of the year, the support of the humanitarian community remains a lifeline,” it added.
“The end of over two years of drought that pushed the country to the brink of famine has brought little relief for families.”
The UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, recently indicated that Somalia is confronting “once-in-a-century flooding” and cautioned that approximately 1.6 million individuals could be impacted.
Somalia is recognized as one of the most susceptible nations to climate change; however, it faces significant challenges in dealing with the crisis, especially as it contends with a deadly Islamist insurgency.
Since the start of the month, the country has been struck by relentless heavy rainfall associated with the El Niño weather pattern.
Most of the devastation is concentrated in the Gedo region of southern Somalia and the central Hiran region. The seasonal Shabelle River overflowed, inundating roads and causing extensive property damage in Beledweyne town.
