GENEVA — Surging floodwaters in the southern regions of Somalia have driven more than 650,000 people to flee their homes this year. The U.N. refugee agency reports the flooding has caused food shortages, led to the outbreak of killer diseases, and increased the risk of the coronavirus spreading in the …

MOGADISHU — Flash floods caused by seasonal rains have affected about 191,800 people in Somalia since May and July, causing a humanitarian crisis in the regions affected, the UN humanitarian agency said on Thursday. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said residents have been displaced by …

MOGADISHU — More than 20,000 hectares of land are submerged in water in Jowhar and Bal’ad districts in Middle Shabelle region following river overflows along the Shabelle river basin, FAO has said warning the region should brace for more flooding in the coming week. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said …

MOGADISHU — The President of the federal republic of Somalia H.E Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo extends his condolences to the people of Somalia on the death of Somalia Veteran Doctor Hawa Abdi Dhiblawe, SONNA reported. President Farmajo shared his sudd to the family of Dr. Hawa Abdi and the people of …

MOGADISHU — The weather forecast has predicted heavy rains for the next seven days in parts of the southern and northern provinces of the country, SONNA reported. Heavy rains experienced in Ethiopian highlands are feared to course the rising levels of River Shabelle and Juba, hence could lead to the …

MOGADISHU — Prominent Somali human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Hawa Abdi has died. She was 73 years old. The exact date and cause of death of Abdi, popularly known as Mama Hawa, was not clearly established. Somali National Television (SNTV), however, reported that she died after …

BAIDOA — The minister for humanitarian affairs and disaster management of southwest state took part in a meeting to discuss the impact of floods. He thanked aid agencies and international organizations who are taking part in the humanitarian efforts to rescue the people affected by river Shebelle flooding.  He reminded …

MOGADISHU — A fire has broke out at a shop in Mogadishu’s Bondhere district on Saturday. The fire started and spread, and the flames got higher even as locals tried dropping water according to residents. No casualties have been reported. “The past months I have been having problems with electricity,” …

GENEVA  — The Emergency Committee on COVID-19, convened by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), held its fourth meeting on 31 July. In its statement following the meeting, published today, it expressed “appreciation for WHO and partners’ COVID-19 pandemic response efforts, and highlighted the anticipated lengthy …

As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 increase across Africa, and the World Health Organization warns the pandemic is accelerating, we fear the novel coronavirus is spreading within and from densely populated urban areas on the continent. Rising cases in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu are especially worrying, which is already …