Mogadishu: Somalia is facing a growing hunger emergency as food assistance programs shrink and millions struggle to find enough to eat. Humanitarian agencies warn that life saving food support could stop within weeks if urgent funding is not secured.
The United Nations World Food Programme says it needs about 95 million dollars to continue food operations through August. Without immediate support, aid deliveries that sustain vulnerable families may halt as early as April.
An estimated 4.4 million people in Somalia are experiencing crisis level food insecurity, while nearly one million face severe hunger. Aid agencies report that funding shortages have already forced them to scale back assistance. Food support that once reached more than two million people now serves only a fraction of those in need.
Children and displaced families are among the hardest hit. Health workers are reporting rising malnutrition among young children and pregnant mothers. Many families are skipping meals, selling livestock, or leaving their homes in search of food and water.
Somalia’s food crisis is being driven by repeated droughts, conflict, and economic hardship. Several rainy seasons have failed, destroying crops and killing livestock, which are the main sources of income and nutrition for rural communities. Insecurity in some areas has also disrupted aid delivery and local markets.
Humanitarian officials warn that the situation could worsen quickly if assistance continues to decline. Somalia narrowly avoided famine in recent years with strong international support, but aid groups say the current funding gap threatens to reverse those gains.
The hunger crisis is also affecting the wider East African region, where drought and reduced humanitarian funding are putting pressure on neighboring communities and increasing the risk of displacement.
Aid agencies are urging the international community to act quickly to prevent a deeper catastrophe and to protect millions of lives at risk.