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The death casualties from floods in Somalia is close to 100, with almost two million people affected, the country's cabinet said on Thursday, AFP reported.
Somalia, like other countries in the Horn of Africa, is battling torrential rains and flash floods just as it emerges from a drought that pushed millions to the brink of famine.
Earlier this month, the government declared a state of emergency over the flood disaster, which has driven about 700,000 people from their homes, submerging whole neighbourhoods and farmland, and destroying bridges.
The cabinet said in a statement on Thurs day after a briefing by the National Disaster Management Agency that about 96 people have lost their lives and almost two million have been affected.
"The federal government of Somalia is carrying out efforts to assist people who were affected by the floods and the cabinet has appealed to the humanitarian agencies and the Somali public to help those affected," it said.
The heavy rainfall is linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon, which is expected to last until at least April next year.
The Horn of Africa is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events are occurring with increased frequency and intensity.
According to the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA, dozens of people have also perished in flooding in Ethiopia and Kenya, and aid groups have warned that the situation is only likely to worsen.
The region has just endured the worst drought in four decades after multiple failed rainy seasons that left millions of people in need and devastated crops and livestock.
索馬利亞洪水造成近百人死亡
索馬利亞內閣週四表示，該國洪水造成的死亡人數已接近 100 人，近 200 萬人受到影響。
與非洲之角的其他國家一樣，索馬利亞剛剛擺脫了將數百萬人推向飢荒邊緣的乾旱，正在與暴雨和山洪作鬥爭。
本月早些時候，政府因洪水災害宣布進入緊急狀態，這場洪水已導致約 70 萬人逃離家園，淹沒了整個社區和農田，並摧毀了橋樑。
週四，在國家災害管理局通報情況後，內閣發表聲明稱，約 96 人喪生，近 200 萬人受到影響。
聲明中寫道： “索馬利亞聯邦政府正在努力援助受洪水影響的人們，內閣已呼籲人道主義機構和索馬利亞公眾幫助受影響的人們。”
這次強降雨與厄爾尼諾天氣現像有關，預計至少會持續到明年四月。
非洲之角是最容易受到氣候變遷影響的地區之一，極端天氣事件發生的頻率和強度不斷增加。
據聯合國人道主義機構人道協調廳稱，埃塞俄比亞和肯亞也有數十人在洪水中喪生，援助組織警告說，情況只會進一步惡化。
在多次雨季失敗後，該地區剛經歷了四十年來最嚴重的乾旱，導致數百萬人陷入困境，農作物和牲畜遭到破壞。
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