Somalia disaster chief meets NRC head over drought, floods and displacement

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s disaster management chief Mahmoud Moallin Abdulle met Norwegian Refugee Council Secretary-General Jan Egeland in Mogadishu to discuss the country’s worsening humanitarian challenges and preparations for the potential impact of Super El Niño.

The talks focused on drought, flooding, conflict, displacement and food insecurity, as Somalia faces continued climate-related and humanitarian pressures.

Egeland, a former Norwegian state secretary and former United Nations humanitarian affairs chief, visited the operations centre of the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), where officials briefed him on emergency preparedness and response efforts.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) pledged continued support for emergency response operations and communities vulnerable to the effects of drought, floods and conflict.

Somalia has been strengthening preparations for extreme weather events amid warnings of potentially severe climate conditions associated with Super El Niño, which could increase the risk of flooding in parts of the country.