According to Save the Children, over 100 individuals, including 16 children, have lost their lives, and more than 700,000 people have been displaced from their homes in the Horn of Africa as a result of flash flooding.
The area, notably Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, has been relentlessly hit by heavy rains since the start of the month, attributed to the El Niño weather pattern.
The rains have caused extensive flooding, submerging residences and agricultural land.
Save the Children reported that approximately 46 individuals had lost their lives in Kenya, 32 in Somalia, and an additional 33 in Ethiopia due to the ongoing rains. The organization cautioned that there were no indications of the rains slowing down.
The Horn of Africa stands as one of the most susceptible regions to climate change, experiencing a rise in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
After enduring multiple unsuccessful rainy seasons, the region is recovering from the most severe drought witnessed in four decades, resulting in millions of people requiring aid and causing substantial devastation to crops and livestock.
“Heavy flooding and displacement have cut off families and children from basic services including access to food, healthcare, water and hygiene services,” said Xavier Joubert, Ethiopia director for Save the Children.
“With that comes the real risk of waterborne diseases including cholera and measles.”
Humanitarian organizations have cautioned that the situation is poised to deteriorate further and have urged immediate global intervention, citing projections that the El Niño phenomenon is anticipated to persist at least until April 2024.
El Niño is commonly linked with heightened global temperatures, often leading to drought in certain regions and heavy rainfall in others.
During the period from October 1997 to January 1998, the destructive floods triggered by El Niño resulted in over 6,000 fatalities across five countries in the Horn of Africa.
Somalia experienced a tragic loss of at least 1,800 lives due to the Juba River overflowing and causing widespread devastation.
Towards the conclusion of 2019, a total of 265 individuals perished, and tens of thousands were displaced as a result of continuous rainfall over two months across multiple countries in East Africa.