TheLittleTwentieth – Renowned Papers Edition, AI Infused

Local sources from Kenya: Reuters, RFI English.
UK coverage: Reuters.

The recent floods in Somalia and neighboring countries in East Africa, following a historic drought, are being described as a once-in-a-century event by the United Nations. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), around 1.6 million people in Somalia could be affected by the heavy seasonal downpours, which have been worsened by the combined impact of two climate phenomena, El Niño and the Indian Ocean Dipole.

The floods, which followed heavy rains that started in early October, have already killed at least 29 people and forced more than 300,000 from their homes in Somalia, and inundated towns and villages across northern Kenya. Camps for people displaced by an Islamist insurgency and the worst drought in four decades have also been flooded, causing people to flee for a second time, aid groups say.

Large-scale displacement, increased humanitarian needs and further destruction of property remain likely, OCHA said, with some 1.5 million hectares of farmland potentially being destroyed. Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General, the UN’s Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, warned that “extreme weather linked to the ongoing El Niño risks further driving up humanitarian needs in already-vulnerable communities in Somalia and many other places.”

Funds released by OCHA – $10M from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund and $15M from the Somalia Humanitarian Fund – will support efforts to prevent loss of life, stem disease outbreaks, and address food insecurity amidst the ongoing emergency caused by heavy rains and floods in Somalia.

The Horn of Africa is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change, and extreme weather events are occurring with increased frequency and intensity. Since late 2020, Somalia as well as parts of Ethiopia and Kenya have been suffering the region’s worst drought in 40 years. At the end of 2019, at least 265 people died and tens of thousands were displaced during two months of relentless rainfall in several countries in East Africa.

The extreme weather affected close to two million people and washed away tens of thousands of livestock in Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. With the devastating floods in Somalia, the UN is urging the international community to take action to prevent further loss of life and destruction of property.