Saturday December 2, 2023
Flooding caused by heavy rains has killed almost 100 people and left some 750,000 people homeless in Somalia, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Friday.
"The country is in the midst of a disaster, as devastating rains and floods are spreading," said the agency.
Most people affected by torrential rains and flash and riverine floods are in the states of South West, Galmudug, Puntland, Hirshabelle and Jubaland, as well as Banadir region, it said.
The UN humanitarian agency said the devastation comes as millions of Somalis continue to battle hunger and malnutrition, with an estimated 1.5 million children under five facing acute malnutrition between August of this year and July 2024.
The agency said that despite massive needs, the 2023 Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan, seeking more than 2.6 billion U.S. dollars to meet the priority needs of 7.6 million people, is only 42 percent funded, at 1 billion dollars.
"Aid organizations cannot meet current and new needs without additional resources," it said.