Accusations have emerged that airstrikes carried out against al-Shabaab-held territory in southern Somalia are pushing civilians into flood-prone areas, effectively trapping women and children in the path of rising waters caused by El Niño.
A resident of the town of Jilib, 27-year-old mother of six Cayni Ali, told the Guardian that she and many neighbours were left with nowhere to flee as heavy drone activity and strikes intensified. "The drones come all the time," she said. "We hear them constantly. They kill animals, civilians. The town is big but destruction is everywhere."
Humanitarian risk has been heightened by unusually heavy rains this season linked to El Niño, which have swollen the River Juba and caused rapid, dangerous flooding in parts of southern Somalia. According to the report, civilians sheltering along riverbanks to escape strikes find themselves facing imminent threats from rising water levels.
The Guardian's exclusive account describes what witnesses and residents characterise as coordinated strikes that are driving populations toward the river. Those making the allegations say the pattern of attacks leaves little safe ground for displacement, concentrating vulnerable groups — notably women and children — in locations exposed to flooding.
It is not possible to independently verify whether the strikes amount to a deliberate strategy to exploit environmental hazards. The claim has prompted questions about the humanitarian consequences of military operations in the region, especially during a season of climate-driven extreme weather. The report notes the immediate danger faced by civilians caught between aerial campaigns and encroaching floodwaters.