Throughout 2019, Somalia was faced with drought followed by flooding, the impact of which combined with the continuing conflict affected-areas created challenges for the most vulnerable groups of children, women and men. 

The UN's humanitarian coordination unit estimates that over 665,000 people were displaced between January and October. The majority of people (363,000) were displaced in October due to the flooding which occurred during the Deyr season in Beledweyne district in Hiiraan being most affected. Forcible evictions of internally displaced people (IDPs) continued with over 220,000 people displaced from January to October.

With Central South Somalia particularly badly hit by the environmental shocks, UNICEF maintained a robust emergency response in 2019 and reached thousands of vulnerable and most needy children and women with different lifesaving interventions. This was done in part by supporting the health systems and supporting access to safe water and proper sanitation and protective environments, especially for the IDPs, which are limited.

"There is a need to keep the momentum and sustain lifesaving interventions throughout the country," adds UNICEF's report.

Across the war-torn Somalia, boys and girls continue to endure multiple protection risks and violations of their rights including family separation, GBV, physical abuse, psychosocial distress, child labour, wide spread recruitment and use of children by armed groups, forced displacement, limited access to humanitarian assistance due to insecurity and/or discriminatory practices and exploitation.

(HORN OBSERVER + UNICEF)