At least 41 dead after heavy rain in Somalia
At least 41 people have lost their lives in Somalia due to persistent heavy rainfall. In the town of Beledwayne in the center of the country on the Horn of Africa, the River Shabelle burst its banks on Wednesday night and swept away twelve people, including five children. The mayor of Beledwayne, Nadar Tabah, told the German Press Agency. A few days earlier, the aid organization Care had already reported at least 29 fatalities.
According to Care, almost 350,000 people have been left homeless by the floods. Many areas are inaccessible to aid organizations and emergency services. Around 1.2 million people have been affected by the floods in total.
At the same time, the impoverished country is suffering from one of the worst droughts in decades. Before the massive rainfall, there had been no rainfall for five consecutive periods. More than a third of the Somali population, 6.6 million people, do not have enough to eat, according to UN figures. Such climate extremes "will keep hunger in Somalia at record levels", warned the World Food Program.
According to the UN, millions of people in other countries in north-east Africa - such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and South Sudan - are also threatened by hunger. In addition to an unprecedented drought in some countries and flooding in other parts of the region, the crisis has been triggered by conflicts such as the recent power struggle in Sudan, the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, the threat of Islamist terrorists and outbreaks of cholera and other diseases.
- Despite the ongoing drought, which has affected over a third of Somalia's population, making it challenging for 6.6 million people to secure enough food, the country is also facing the challenge of excessive rainfall.
- The latest heavy rainfall, which caused at least 41 deaths and displaced nearly 350,000 people, is a stark contrast to the prolonged drought in various parts of Somalia.
- Climate extremes, such as the heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding, contribute to the worsening hunger situation in Somalia, as predicted by the World Food Program, exacerbating the struggles faced by the country's children and other vulnerable populations.
Source: www.dpa.com
