ALBAWABA - Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said late Wednesday that heavy rains swamped different parts of the country triggering floods that killed more than 101 people, displacing 1 million Somalis.
In a televised speech, President Mohamud said that Somalia is facing a humanitarian crisis due to the climate change-caused El Nino phenomenon, which is taking its toll on various parts of the country.
"Our people everywhere in this country have been affected by the climate change-related floods. The floods have also killed 4,000 livestock and destroyed 140,000 homes" he told the press.
"for the last 16 years, the al-Shabaab terrorist group has hindered the people’s ability to farm and harvest and has refused to allow humanitarian organizations to help the people in the areas they control" Mahmoud added.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Wednesday that at least 34 districts of Somalia have been impacted by heavy rains and floods since October, mostly in the southern areas, with the south-central state of Hirshabelle and the Southwest and Jubaland states are the most affected areas of the country.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths said: "After suffering its worst drought in 4 decades, Somalia is now grappling with “once in a century” floods".
As the country is struggling to cope with the floods, the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan for Somalia, which seeks $2.6 billion to assist about 7.6 million people, remains significantly underfunded at 39%, with immediate action demanded to bridge the financial gap, Anadolu reported.
