UN: Extreme weather conditions, conflict displaced one million Somalis over last four months

According to UN agencies, more than one million Somali people have been internally displaced in the past four months due to a “toxic” combination of drought, conflict and floods.

About 433,000 people were forced to leave their homes between January 1 and May 10, with the outbreak of a destructive Islamist insurgency and clashes in the separatist region of Somaliland, says a joint statement by the United Nations Refugee Agency and the Norwegian Refugee Council.

In addition, the statement reads: “more than 408,000 people have been displaced due to the floods that swept through their villages, while 312,000 have been displaced due to the devastating drought.”