ENVIRONMENT AND DISASTERS

MOGADISHU — Heavy rains disrupted transport in some parts of the Somali capital Mogadishu as vehicles were unable to maneuver through flooded roads in the city on Monday morning. The rains that started last night left flood-prone areas submerged also caused flash floods that affected Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) living …

KAMPALA — Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohamed Guled and First Lady Zaynab Moalim attended the opening of Ugandan Sugar Factory by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. Dr. Amina Hirsi Mooge, a Somali woman, has made various investments in Uganda and other neighboring countries. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has said the plant …

NAIROBI — The number of people hit by seasonal flooding in East Africa has increased more than fivefold in four years, according to UN figures. Nearly six million people have been affected this year with 1.5 million of them forced from their homes. Parts of the region are recording the …

MOGADISHU — Over 244,000 families displaced from 92 neighborhoods under Bal’ad and Jowhar districts in Middle Shabelle region by Shabelle river floods that had a bad impact on those families and their properties, both livestock and crops, SONNA reported. Deputy Governor of Middle Shabelle region, Mohamed Sh. Handow told Somali …

MOGADISHU — The UN humanitarian agency said on Wednesday that shortage of funding continues to hamper life-saving response to the ongoing floods in Somalia. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) advisory board has approved a 9 million U.S. dollar reserve …

BALADWEYNE – Thousands are fleeing Baladweyne town after residents of three districts were forced to evacuate and breaches allowed floods to sweep through the town in Somalia’s south. Residents say Shabelle river has been overflowing its defenses over the past few days and high tides merged with the heavy runoff …

DJIBOUTI — The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) has warned that new swarms of the desert locust are forming in the Eastern Africa region. The organization says locust swarms have been reported in the last 6-weeks in northwestern Kenya, southern, northern and northeastern Ethiopia, northwest and northeastern Somalia. …

MOGADISHU — Severe flooding continues to displace thousands of people in Somalia. The government in recent days issued new warnings to communities living along the Jubba and Shabelle rivers. It said rains in the highlands of neighboring Ethiopia could lead to flash floods in towns such as Jowhar and Beledweyne. …

MOGADISHU — The Italian government has approved USD six million to finance flood prevention mechanisms in Somalia Hirshabelle state. The news was confirmed during a meeting between the deputy ambassador of Italy to Somalia Fabio Masimo and the leader of Hirshabelle state Mohamed Abdi Ware in Mogadishu on Saturday. The funds …

MOGADISHU  — The Federal Government has appealed to residents of storms-affected regions in Jubbaland to be vigilant warning the situation is still unpredictable following the death of ten people Friday. The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs while condoling with families of those who lost their lives called for vigilance as storms …