Prolonged drought and failed harvests have put huge numbers of people, including 1.8 million children, at risk of malnutrition

Somalia is facing a severe hunger crisis, with 6.5 million people experiencing high levels of food insecurity, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Tuesday. 

More than 1.8million children under the age of five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition during 2026, including nearly half a million children projected to be severely malnourished. 

"The drought emergency in Somalia has deepened alarmingly, with soaring water prices, limited food supplies, dying livestock, and very little humanitarian funding," George Conway, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, said. He warned that urgent lifesaving assistance is essential, especially with no significant rain expected until the ApriltoJune season.

According to the WFP, the intensified drought has driven largescale displacement of people in rural and urban areas.

The UN agency stated that the worsening food situation is linked to prolonged drought and poor rains, with the October-December season cereal harvest in southern Somalia falling 83% below the 1995-2025 long-term average. In addition, livestock conception across the country is much lower than normal.

Currently, the 6million people affected by the hunger crisis represent approximately 30% of Somalia's total population.

"The severity of this drought is undeniable and deeply alarming," Mohamud Moallim Abdulle, the commissioner of the Somalia Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), stressed. 

Officials from the UN and Somali government have urged international humanitarian partners to scale up lifesaving assistance to protect vulnerable communities before conditions deteriorate further.

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The African country has faced severe droughts before. Notably, the 2017 Somali drought left roughly half the country's population facing food shortages and critical water scarcity due to failed rains.