The number of people who have died in Somalia in recent weeks after several weeks of heavy rain and flooding has risen to 55 as of Friday, according to the UN. The UN emergency aid organization OCHA said there were 14 children among them.
In the Horn of Africa country alone, which has been affected by severe drought for years, almost 700,000 people had to flee the floods. Overall, OCHA estimates the number of people in Somalia affected by the floods and in need of assistance at 1.7 million. A sharp increase in cholera cases has been observed in the flooded areas.
In neighboring Kenya, hundreds of thousands of people in the northern and eastern parts of the country are now affected by severe flooding after five failed rainy seasons and devastating years of drought.
The El Niño weather phenomenon is exacerbating the already tense situation due to climate change and has led to above-average rainfall, said Camilla Schynoll, program coordinator for Welthungerhilfe in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. “Consistent rain is currently forecast for the next two or more weeks and further flooding is expected.”
There is also an 80 percent chance that El Niño will last until the long rainy season from March to May 2024. This could significantly worsen the impact on the already tense food situation.
