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MOGADISHU, November 12 2026 The European Union has allocated €6 million ($6.7 million) to help Somalia prepare for the 2026-2027 El Niño, the EU delegation in Somalia said on Thursday, as part of a €13.5 million ($15 million) package for Eastern and Southern Africa.
The support focuses on preparing evacuation sites, emergency cash assistance and health and nutrition services, the delegation said in a post on X.
The wider package, announced by the European Commission’s humanitarian aid department on Nov 6, also includes €1 million ($1.1 million) each for Kenya and Uganda and €5.5 million ($6.1 million) for anticipatory action in Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean region. The Commission said forecasts suggest the El Niño may be the strongest on record.
“We cannot stop El Niño from coming, but we can limit its devastating impact on people’s lives,” said Hadja Lahbib, the EU commissioner for preparedness and crisis management. “When we can see a crisis coming, we have a responsibility to act before it strikes.”
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Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told the COP31 climate summit in Antalya on Wednesday that one of the strongest El Niño events ever recorded threatens southern Somalia with floods that could disrupt the lives of up to 3.4 million people.
He said Somalia’s government had approved a national El Niño preparedness plan in September, and urged that money for early warning and early action be released “when the forecast comes in, not when the death toll does.”
Somalia suffered its longest drought in 40 years from 2020 to 2023, followed by El Niño floods in 2023 that affected more than 2 million people, according to the president.