Nearly 200,000 displaced in Somalia flooding: Official

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 May 2023 23:24

This comes amid the country's battle against an insurgency and a drought crisis, as residents fled their flooded homes.

A Somali boy seen after heavy rain flooded his neighborhood in Mogadishu, Somalia, on October 21, 2019 (Reuters)

After the Shabelle River burst as a result of the flash flooding in Somalia, approximately 200,000 people were displaced as confirmed by Ali Osman Hussein, deputy governor for social affairs in the Hiran region to AFP.

Due to heavy rainfall raising water levels sharply, residents were forced out of their homes. "Some 200,000 people are now displaced due to the Shabelle River flash floods in Beledweyne town and the number may increase anytime. It is a preliminary figure now," Hussein said.

"We are doing all we can to help those who are affected," he added. The region's deputy governor Hassan Ibrahim Abdulle said that so far "three people were killed by the floods."

This comes amid the country's battle against an insurgency and a drought crisis.

A resident, who chose the name Fartun Ali, stated that this was her fifth time fleeing flash flooding in the region of Beledweyne. "Whenever the river breaks the banks, we flee," she told AFP, while Iman Badal Omar said, "All we could do was to evacuate and save our children. We did not take any of our belongings".

Many parts of the African continent are known to be frequent to rainfall and flash flooding. Just earlier this month, 135 people were left dead alongside landslides in several parts of Rwanda.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, over 400 people were killed due to massive downpours, floods, and landslides. About 142 remains were found at Bushushu and 132 at Nyamukubi, while 120 were found floating on Lake Kivu around Idjwi, an island in the middle of the large volcanic lake.

When heavy rains caused river overflow, floods devastated a number of fields, washed away multiple houses, and submerged entire villages, the official explained.

This comes as climate experts warn that extreme climate changes are taking place increasingly due to the climate crisis with Africa bearing the brunt.

Africa is the least contributor to the climate change crisis, but it's the one that suffers the most.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres released a foreword in a report in March, warning that the world is "blindly" treading on a "dangerous path" as "unsustainable water use, pollution, and unchecked global warming are draining humanity's lifeblood."