Widespread floods kill hundreds and displace millions in East Africa

After one of the most prolonged droughts on record, the region of the Horn of Africa, in the East now finds itself submerged by powerful downpours linked to the El Niño phenomenon since November.

The combination of these two climatic events aggravated by climate change has caused what the U.N described as a once in a century flood in Somalia.

Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya are affected by the hazards of climate change on an unprecedented scale. According to provisional figures from the countries, nearly 300 people have passed and more than one million have been displaced.

Thousands of livestock animals have also been killed and large tracts of agricultural farmland submerged.

Aid agencies have reported surges of water-borne diseases like cholera due to unsanitary latrines and lack of access to safe drinking water.

Speaking at COP28 on Friday, Kenyan President William Ruto captured the immediate reality and devastation of climate change as witnessed by the catastrophic rains.

Despite being overlooked and belittled during numerous world summits, Africa is for better or worse needed to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis across the globe.