MOGADISHU, SOMALIA (HRNW) — Leading child-rights organizations are calling for urgent anticipatory action to protect hundreds of thousands of children from potential devastating floods in Somalia as strong El Niño conditions raise the risk of widespread displacement, disease and disruption to essential services.
The Joining Forces Alliance in Somalia, bringing together Save the Children, Plan International, SOS Children’s Villages and World Vision, warned that El Niño-related flooding could displace hundreds of thousands of children before the end of 2026. The organizations are urging donors and development partners to release preparedness funding before the major Deyr rainy season begins.
The alliance said the combination of El Niño conditions and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole could produce severe flooding, particularly along Somalia’s Juba and Shabelle rivers and in low-lying displacement settlements.
The warning draws on the experience of Somalia’s catastrophic 2023 floods, which displaced approximately 1.2 million people, including around 400,000 children, while disrupting education for nearly 900,000 children.
The organizations are calling for anticipatory funding, repairs to flood defenses, pre-positioning of emergency supplies and protection of schools, health facilities, nutrition services and water systems.
Child-rights groups are also urging authorities and humanitarian partners to ensure that children and young people from flood-prone communities have a meaningful voice in disaster preparedness and climate-resilience decisions.
The alliance warned that acting before the floods arrive could reduce displacement, protect essential services and prevent avoidable loss of life and suffering.
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Disclaimer:
This article is based on information published by Save the Children, the Joining Forces Alliance and other cited humanitarian sources. Forecasts and humanitarian conditions can change rapidly. HRNW presents the information for public-interest journalism and human-rights awareness.
