By Abdikadir Mohamed Mohamud - Project Lead at SOYAL Organization, a youth-led civil society organization in Somalia dedicated to advancing Youth, Peace, and Security.
“Somalia’s climate crisis is not only environmental; it is reshaping youth futures, protection risks, mental health, and prospects for peace.” Abdikadir Mohamed Mohamud
When extreme climate events strike Somalia, the international community frequently measures the resulting crisis through physical indicators: millimeters of rainfall, acres of submerged farmland, numbers of displaced households, or livestock losses. Yet across Somalia’s riverine valleys and sprawling displacement camps, the true toll of climate insecurity is also recorded in the social fabric of communities.
Beyond altering the physical landscape, recurring climatic shocks—from prolonged droughts to devastating floods during El Niño periods—pose growing social and security threats to young people and women while affecting the mental well-being of communities at large.
El Niño is more than a weather phenomenon in Somalia. It can rapidly trigger a chain of social problems. When the Juba and Shabelle rivers overflow, villages are inundated, farms and livelihoods are destroyed, and families are forced to move from one place to another. For Somalia, where young people account for more than 70 percent of the population, the consequences for youth are particularly significant.
The Climate-Protection Continuum: GBV and Vulnerability in Displacement#
The connection between El Niño-induced displacement and physical protection risks is starkly evident in the informal internally displaced persons (IDP) settlements expanding around urban centers. When climate disasters force rural families from their homes, women and young girls bear a disproportionate burden of the resulting security risks.
The disruption of community life and the absence of safe shelters can increase exposure to gender-based violence (GBV). In crowded displacement camps, inadequate lighting, shared sanitation facilities, and long distances travelled to collect firewood can create conditions that increase the risk of sexual exploitation and violence.
The loss of livestock and crops also exposes families to severe financial stress, potentially encouraging dangerous coping mechanisms, including early marriage. Climate security, therefore, goes beyond managing floods. Effective protection systems must be established to safeguard young women and girls during climate-induced humanitarian emergencies.
Climate emergencies in Somalia do not end when the floodwaters recede. They can disrupt protective networks, increase the risks of gender-based violence, inflict psychological harm on young people, and weaken the social connections essential to sustainable peace.
Mental Health and Trauma: The Unseen Frontier of Climate Insecurity#
The climate crisis in Somalia has both visible and less visible consequences. Physical danger and destruction are immediately apparent, but the psychological cost receives far less attention. Repeated displacement from ancestral lands, severe economic hardship, and recurring climate shocks can place significant psychological strain on Somali youth.
Herders and farmers who have traditionally built their lives around established livelihoods and practices are increasingly witnessing the sudden disappearance of those ways of life. Such losses can contribute to feelings of hopelessness and anxiety.
In many areas, relevant mental health and psychosocial support services (MHPSS) remain unavailable or inadequate. As a consequence, climate-induced trauma may develop into chronic depression, addiction, or family problems.
A climate security policy that neglects mental health will overlook important factors contributing to community vulnerability. Emotional resilience and trauma-informed approaches are therefore crucial to peacebuilding and meaningful youth participation in community life.
Youth, Peace, and Security: Mobilizing the Frontlines of Adaptation#
Despite the difficulties they face, Somali youth should not be regarded merely as victims of climate crises. They are important agents of resilience and community rebuilding.
Within the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) framework, Somali youth have taken initiatives to bridge existing gaps, participate in disaster response, mediate conflicts between communities over resource use, and advocate for effective environmental governance.
As climate-induced displacement pushes pastoralist communities into new areas, tensions can emerge over increasingly scarce land, water, and grazing resources. Somali youth can play an instrumental role in facilitating peer-to-peer dialogue, establishing local environmental committees, and preventing resource-related disputes from escalating into conflict.
Engaging young people in peacebuilding can help transform environmental risks into opportunities for greater community cooperation and social cohesion.
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Integrating WPS and Institutional Policy Reforms#
Building a holistic climate security strategy requires national policy frameworks to operationalize the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda alongside environmental protection.
Women and adolescent girls often play significant roles in managing household natural resources, yet they remain marginalized in climate-related decision-making and emergency response structures. Addressing this imbalance requires deliberate policy reforms.
Incorporate GBV prevention and MHPSS into climate action plans. The Somali federal government, state governments, and international partners should integrate gender-based violence prevention and mental health and psychosocial support into the country’s climate-response plans. Flood relief and disaster-response strategies should prioritize safe and dignified shelter alongside mental health and protection services for internally displaced populations.
Invest in grassroots initiatives led by youth and women. Climate adaptation strategies should provide meaningful support and funding for youth-led and women-led organizations. Local communities are often the first responders during El Niño emergencies and understand what is required to provide locally appropriate, trauma-sensitive, and protective services.
Bridge environmental infrastructure with peacebuilding. Long-term environmental peacebuilding should combine physical infrastructure—such as sustainable riverbank reinforcement and rainwater harvesting—with community-based conflict-resolution training tailored to young community leaders.
Conclusion: Toward an Integrated Model of Human Security#
El Niño in Somalia represents a difficult test of governance, social solidarity, and community resilience. Protecting the country’s future requires moving from a largely reactive system toward an anticipatory approach.
This means strengthening early-warning systems and allocating resources before disasters strike, allowing authorities and humanitarian actors to prepare protection mechanisms, evacuation centers, and emergency assistance before rivers overflow their banks and vulnerable populations are forced to relocate.
Raising awareness and involving communities in climate-resilience efforts will also require greater use of digital technology, youth-led campaigns, and community-level dialogue. These tools can educate communities about environmental risks, climate adaptation, gender-based violence prevention, and mental well-being.
Ultimately, a sustainable human security strategy requires a comprehensive approach that combines environmental action with youth leadership, gender protection, and mental health. By embedding anticipatory planning into climate strategies, strengthening public awareness, protecting vulnerable populations through the YPS and WPS agendas, and addressing the psychological consequences of displacement, Somalia can build stronger defenses against climate instability.
The energy, leadership, and dignity of young people must remain at the center of this transformation—turning climate challenges into opportunities to strengthen resilience and advance peace.
About the Author
Abdikadir Mohamed Mohamud is a Project Lead at SOYAL Organization, a youth-led civil society organization in Somalia dedicated to advancing Youth, Peace, and Security.
**The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Dawan Africa.