According to the Somali National News Agency, today, Saturday, the number of people who have died due to the floods caused by heavy rains in Somalia has risen to 96. The agency stated, "This figure was confirmed by Mahmoud Moallim, the head of the National Disaster Management Authority in the country."
Somalia, like the rest of East Africa and the Horn of Africa, has experienced continuous heavy rains that began in October, due to the climate phenomenon known as El Niño and bipolar weather events in the Indian Ocean. These climate phenomena affect sea surface temperatures and result in above-average rainfall. The floods are described as the worst in decades and have led to the displacement of around 700,000 people, according to the United Nations.
Moreover, Somalia has been facing a deadly cycle of droughts and floods, displacing thousands. The Horseed 1 settlement for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Baidoa houses 73 families. Most of them fled nearby rural villages during the droughts, only to be forced to leave their shelters yet again due to the floods.
