(05-11-23) BAIDOA — In a decisive move to address the escalating crisis caused by El Nino-induced rains, the President of Somalia’s Southwest State, Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagaren, announced on Sunday the formation of a state-level El Nino Response Committee led by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Abdinasir Abdi Arush. The committee, holding its first meeting the same day, is tasked with coordinating efforts to mitigate the devastating effects of the ongoing weather phenomenon.
The El Nino rains have unleashed severe hardships across several districts, including Baidoa, Burhakaba, Hudur, Berdale, Wanlaweyn, and Janaale. Baidoa district bears the brunt of the crisis, with 10 fatalities reported and over 402,000 people, encompassing 236,928 internally displaced persons and 165,341 from host communities, adversely affected.
One of the most pressing issues addressed by the committee is the destruction of the Baidoa-Mogadishu main supply route. This critical disruption threatens to inflate prices of consumer goods and potentially precipitate a food shortage crisis in the region.
The inaugural meeting focused on evaluating the impact of the rains, strategizing on evacuating those affected and implementing measures to counter the destruction caused by flash floods. The committee has called upon humanitarian agencies to significantly increase their emergency response operations to assist those impacted by the crisis.
Halqabsi News
