El-Nino destroyed livelihood of thousands, exacerbating humanitarian situation in East African country
The UN on Friday said Somalia will experience a tough time in 2024 as millions will need humanitarian assistance “just like the recent years.”
In a statement on X Friday, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said an estimated 6.9 million people in the country will need assistance.
As the country recovers from its worst and prolonged drought in four decades, which killed as many as 43,000 people and displaced over 1.5 million people, rainfall exacerbated by the weather phenomenon El Nino worsened the situation.
Abdullahi A. Hassan, executive director for the Community Action for Climate Change (CACC), a local non-profit, said towns such as Bardhere, in the region of Gedo that serves as a vital economic and commercial hub for over 200 villages, has been one of the worst affected areas and the humanitarian situation there is dire.
“Bardhere has been grappling with numerous challenges posed by climate change. The city has been plagued by frequent droughts and floods, which have severely impacted the local economy and the lives of its inhabitants,” he told Anadolu.
Hassan said floods in October and November had a devastating impact, affecting approximately 50,000 residents, damaging their homes and disrupting their livelihoods.
In 2023, an estimated 8.25 million people, nearly half of Somalia’s population, needed life-saving humanitarian and protection assistance.
Somalia declared a state of emergency in October after extreme weather destroyed homes, roads, and bridges.