The UN on Tuesday pledged 2.7 million U.S. dollars to help Somaliland communities affected by the cyclone which left at least 50 people dead and displaced a 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 Awdal 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.