Somalia’s Deyr rainy season has begun, raising concern about flooding linked to El Niño. The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre says rainfall could exceed 400 mm, while Somalia’s disaster management agency estimates that between 2.5 million and 3.5 million people are at risk. The threat is concentrated in central and southern parts of the country, including Jubaland.
In Baastoo, a displaced people’s camp outside Kismayo, Asha Abdi Nuur arrived with her six children two weeks ago after deciding to leave at the first sign of rain. Flooding in 2023 had trapped her family for days when the Jamaame River overflowed. Her husband was swept away while trying to rescue his mother and was never found, she said.
The 2023 floods killed more than 100 people in Somalia and inundated nearly 1.5 million hectares of farmland. Ali Mohamed Hassan, a farmer near the Juba River, says the floods destroyed his crops and caused losses of at least $1,500. He has borrowed money from relatives to buy seeds and has yet to repay the loan.
Jubaland authorities say they have identified elevated sites for evacuation and shelter and begun coordinating with humanitarian partners. But the region’s refugee commissioner, Ali Adn Ali, said assistance had not yet arrived. He cited needs including boats for evacuations, tents and plastic sheeting, food and medicine, and warned that many children could be malnourished.
The International Committee of the Red Cross, one of the few aid organizations still operating in the area, has been carrying out preventive work since May, including protecting nearly 120 drinking-water points.
Sources: RFI.