IOM warns 800,000 Somalis face displacement from El Niño flooding

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has issued a stark warning that more than 800,000 people in Somalia may be forced to flee their homes over the next three months. This potential mass displacement is attributed to catastrophic flooding anticipated from the El Niño phenomenon, which is expected to peak between October and December. In a joint projection with the Danish Refugee Council, the IOM estimated that precisely 874,319 individuals could be uprooted by the environmental crisis, with flooding identified as the cause of 92% of these displacements.

Manuel Marques Pereira, the IOM’s chief in Somalia, emphasized that immediate international intervention is necessary to mitigate the human and economic costs of the disaster. However, the agency currently lacks the resources to meet the challenge, having secured only 14% of the $16.62 million required for emergency preparations and to assist at-risk populations. This significant funding gap limits the agency’s ability to pre-position essential supplies and build the infrastructure needed to support those likely to lose their homes and livelihoods in the coming weeks.

Early signs of flooding are already being observed in several regions, signaling the onset of a period that could devastate communities already weakened by previous climate-related shocks. The IOM has stressed that the window for effective preparation is closing rapidly as the severe rains begin to intensify. Without a swift surge in international support and funding, the humanitarian situation in Somalia is expected to deteriorate sharply, leaving hundreds of thousands of people without access to adequate shelter, food, or clean water.