First drought, then floods and repeated conflicts with the terrorist group al-Shabaab: According to the UN, more than a million people were displaced within Somalia within a few months – more than ever before in such a short time.
In Somalia, more than a million people have been displaced in less than five months. In addition to ongoing conflicts, a drought and floods are responsible for this, said the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the aid organization Norwegian Refugee Council.
UN speak of “great tragedy”
According to this, 408,000 people alone had to give way to masses of water, while another 312,000 sought protection from the effects of the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa. The UNHCR representative in Somalia, Magatte Guisse, spoke of a “great tragedy”.
Conflicts and the climate crisis are affecting the most vulnerable people in the East African country. The humanitarian need in Somalia is increasing, said Guisse. Mohamed Abdi, Somalia country manager for the Norwegian Refugee Council, said the development raised fears of the worst in the coming months. In Somalia, all the ingredients for the disaster continued to boil.
Parts of the country under the control of the terrorist group al-Shabaab
Somalia has been plagued by conflict for years. The terrorist group al-Shabaab controls parts of the country and repeatedly carries out attacks on government officials, soldiers and the civilian population. In addition, the population has been suffering from a drought that has been ongoing in parts of the country since the end of 2020.
Since March there had also been several severe floods in the south and in the middle of the country. Never before have so many people been displaced within Somalia so early in the calendar year, according to UNHCR and the Norwegian Refugee Council.
According to the UNHCR, Somalia has a total of more than 3.8 million displaced people. 6.7 million people are barely able to meet their food needs, and more than half a million children are severely malnourished. According to the UN organization, the aid organizations working in the East African country only received 22 percent of the 2.6 billion US dollars (2.4 billion euros) needed this year.