MOGADISHU, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- About 2.9 million people were internally displaced in Somalia in 2023 due to flooding, conflict or insecurity, and drought, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.
The UNHCR said 57 percent of the 2.9 million were displaced due to flooding, 25 percent due to conflict or insecurity, and 18 percent due to drought.
"Many parts of the country remain inaccessible because of conflict and insecurity," the UNHCR said in its latest operational report released Tuesday night.
It said the operating environment in Somalia is complex as decades of conflict and insecurity, political tensions, clan dynamics, and climate change have resulted in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.
According to the UNHCR, the Somali National Army and its security partners continued their military campaigns against the non-state armed group which resulted in the deaths and displacement of innocent bystanders, it said.
The UN refugee agency noted that due to disputes over the election schedule, political hostilities remained high in Puntland in northeastern Somalia.
According to the Somali Disaster Management Agency, flooding during the October-December 2023 rainy season affected more than 2.4 million people and displaced more than one million.
The excessive seasonal rains, flash floods, and riverine floods were particularly acute in 2023 due to a concurrence of El Nino conditions and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole phenomenon, resulting in, among other things, loss of life, destruction of property, loss of access to basic services, and further displacement. ■
