UK provides funding to prepare Somali communities for flooding
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The United Kingdom committed £5 million to help communities in Somalia prepare for potential flooding linked to the El Niño weather pattern.
UK Minister for Development & Africa Kirsty McNeill announced the aid during a meeting in Mogadishu with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and other humanitarian partners. The funding will support measures like early warning systems, temporary relocation for people at risk, and protection of essential services including health care, nutrition, water, and sanitation.
The British Embassy in Mogadishu stated the aid is intended to reach up to 600,000 people. Half of the funding will go to the Caafimaad Plus program, run by Action Against Hunger, to provide health and nutrition services. The other half will fund the RESTORE program, implemented by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the International Organization for Migration, and World Vision, focusing on early warning and relocation.
Somalia faces a high probability of above-normal rainfall during the October to December rainy season, with the Food and Agriculture Organization estimating a 90% chance in central and southern regions. Authorities in Somalia predict between 2.5 and 3.5 million people could be affected by flooding, potentially displacing up to 1 million.
This aid is part of a larger £15 million British package for countries vulnerable to El Niño’s effects, building on lessons learned from the 2023 floods which affected 2.48 million people in Somalia.
