Around 200,000 people have been displaced due to flash flooding in central Somalia. Heavy rainfall caused water levels to rise sharply, resulting in the Shabelle River bursting its banks and submerging roads. Residents of Beledweyne town in Hiran region were forced out of their homes and carried their belongings on top of their heads as they waded through flooded streets in search of refuge. Ali Osman Hussein, deputy governor for social affairs in Hiran region, said that the number of displaced people may increase at any time.
The disaster comes after a record drought that has left millions of Somalis on the brink of famine, with the troubled nation also battling an Islamist insurgency for decades. Three people were killed by the floods, according to the region’s deputy governor. Extreme weather often occurs during the rainy seasons in East and central Africa.
Earlier this month, 135 people were killed and more than 9,000 left homeless after heavy rains lashed Rwanda, triggering floods and landslides in several parts of the hilly nation. More than 400 people lost their lives due to torrential downpours, floods and landslides last week in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Experts say extreme weather events are happening with increased frequency and intensity due to climate change – and Africa, which contributes the least to global warming, is bearing the brunt.
