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Horn of Africa: Humanitarian Impacts of Drought – Issue 4 (15 May 2017)

Countries
Somalia
+ 3 more
Sources
OCHA
Publication date

Rainfall

The late onset of seasonal rains (March-May) has affected central, northwestern and southeastern Kenya, Uganda’s Karamoja region, and southern and central Somalia.

Flash floods are ongoing in Somalia’s Bari, Madung and Bay regions. FAO SWALIM expects increased water levels in the Juba and Shabelle river basins.

In Kenya , torrential rains have caused floods and landslides in Kwale, Mombasa, Taita Taveta and Garissa counties, including in Dadaab camp.

The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) predicts that northern Ethiopia will experience limited or no rainfall for most of May. A full onset of the rainy season is needed to regenerate pastures and mitigate further depletion of livestock.

Despite below average rainfall in parts of SNNPR, Amhara and Tigray, some farmers have planted maize, haricot beans and tubers.

Displacement

Somalia recorded 68,000 new drought-induced displacements during the last week of April, an 11 per cent rise within two weeks that brings the total number of displaced to 683,000 people since November 2016.

Most new arrivals are to Baidoa (55,000) and Mogadishu (39,000). Major displacements occurred in Bay, (52,740), Lower Shabelle (34,260), Bakool (12,360) and Mudug (3,340). Border monitoring by IOM DTM recorded 871 outflows to Kenya and Ethiopia against 283 inflows into Somalia in April.

Over 843,000 people remain displaced due to drought, flood and conflict in Ethiopia, with some 4,500 Somalis crossing into Ethiopia's Somali region since the start of the year.

Over 6,500 people were displaced by floods in Kenya’s Taita Taveta, Kwale and Mombasa counties. Since January, a total of 23,058 Somali refugees have voluntarily returned to Somalia, 707 of whom during the last two weeks of April. However, 509 Somalis crossed into camps in Garissa during that same period.

Disease

In Somalia, 36,066 cases of AWD/Cholera and 697 related deaths (CFR 1.9%) were reported across 50 districts in 13 regions between January and April. As of May 7, a total 7,031 measles cases have been reported.

In Ethiopia, water shortages are exacerbating an ongoing AWD outbreak in 40 districts across 7 zones in the Somali region.

In Kenya, 303 cholera cases and 5 related deaths have been reported since January: 281 in Tana River county, 22 in Dadaab camp and 2 in Nairobi county.

In May, 153 cases of dengue fever (119 confirmed) were reported in Kisuani, Mvita, Changamwe and Likoni in Mombasa county.

Uganda is suffering a measles outbreak in Kamwenge district. Other districts on alert include Kampala, Mayuge and Wakiso.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.