According to the United Nations Bureau for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), four people, two of whom have lost their lives after being swept away by the floods, “while more than 45,000 people were affected by sudden floods” caused by moderate to heavy rains which have been falling since April 15, on various regions of Somalia, announced OCHA on Thursday May 1.
The Shabelle River came out of its bed on April 28 in the Jowhar district, forcing the movement of more than 6,000 people and flooding around 11,000 hectares of land, detailed the OCHA a little more.
These floods occur when NGOs which are often on the front line on the humanitarian level in Africa are faced with paralyzing financing reductions on the part of the USA.
The main rainy season (April to June) generally begins on April 15 in some parts of Somalia and on Ethiopian highlands where Juba and Shabelle rivers have their source.
The rains recorded since mid-April in this country in Eastern Africa have tempered six months of prolonged drought, by reaplivioning water points and revitalizing pastures.
