MOGADISHU – Somalia is facing a “triple threat” of drought, regional conflict impacts, and imminent El Niño flooding, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned on Friday.
Flash floods in the Banadir region have already displaced over 4,000 people in the Dayniile district over the last 48 hours. The heavy rainfall follows a period of extreme drought, a combination that experts say destroys the topsoil’s ability to absorb water, leading to catastrophic runoff.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) reported that a reduced humanitarian response—a result of global funding cuts—has left millions of displaced Somalis exposed. In parts of southern Somalia, such as the Bay region, inter-clan conflict over diminishing resources has compounded the misery, forcing hundreds of farming families to flee.
“When aid disappears, childhoods disappear too,” a Save the Children spokesperson warned, noting that malnutrition levels in some camps have reached emergency thresholds not seen in over a decade.
