UN pledges 2.7 mln USD to help Somaliland communities affected by cyclone

[Deeq A.]

The UN on Tuesday pledged 2.7 million U.S. dollars to help Somaliland communities affected by cyclone which left at least 25 people dead and displaced thousand others.

Peter de Clercq, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia who visited the self-declared semi-autonomous region, said the response to the combination of events- storm, floods, drought- highlighted the need for a response which addresses both the short- and longer-term needs of humanitarian events.

De Clercg said in a statement released in Mogadishu that the short-term should focus on the immediate emergency and the longer-term centred on building the resilience of communities like that of the Awhal region.

The recent landfall of Cyclone Sagar on the northern Horn of Africa has affected some 160,000 people, killing dozens and causing severe damage to infrastructure and economic loss, especially for those with a traditional pastoral livelihood, according to the UN.

It said the cyclone’s impact has compounded an already-difficult humanitarian and development situation in the area due to recent heavy flooding and a years-long drought.

De Clercq had been in Somaliland to see its impact first-hand, as well as meet with local partners, including government officials, representatives of non-governmental organizations, community elders and people directly affected by the storm.

The cyclone comes after a powerful tropical cyclone with winds in excess of 120 km/per hour and an entire year’s worth of rain which landed in Somalia on May 19 left destruction and death in its wake in Somaliland, endangering the lives of thousands of children in the region.

Cyclone Sagar tore through the coastal north of the country, destroying homes and livelihoods in its wake.

According to Somaliland authorities, at least 25 people have been killed, 27 others are missing and hundreds of homes destroyed following tropical cyclone Sagar that caused heavy rains and flooding in Somaliland.

Source: – Xinhua