The World Food Programme (WFP) issued a dire warning on Friday, highlighting that millions in Somalia are at risk of worsening hunger and malnutrition due to critical funding shortages. These shortages have forced the United Nations agency to reduce its emergency food assistance support by over two-thirds. By November, the WFP will only be able to provide assistance to 350,000 people, down from 1.1 million in August.
While Somalia is one of the world’s most critical hunger hotspots, this significant reduction means that WFP will be supporting less than 1 in every 10 people who are in need of food assistance for survival, leaving them without a vital source of food and nutrition at a time when they are becoming increasingly vulnerable.
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, 4.4 million Somalis are currently experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity cor worse, including nearly one million facing emergency levels of hunger. This figure has increased by 50 percent in just six months.
WFP's nutrition programs are similarly affected by the funding shortfall, with only 180,000 children still receiving nutritional treatment.
Malnutrition continues to pose a grave concern, with an estimated 1.85 million children under five expected to suffer from acute malnutrition (GAM) this year. Of those, more than 420,000 children suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and require urgent treatment.
SAM, also known as severe wasting, is the deadliest form of malnutrition. Children diagnosed with SAM require immediate, intensive treatment because they are extremely vulnerable to life-threatening complications and have a high mortality rate if they receive inadequate care.
Malnutrition also weakens the immune system, making children more susceptible to infectious diseases. Contributing factors to the malnutrition crisis include insecurity, which limits access to farmlands, extreme weather conditions like flooding, and high food prices.
The situation in Somalia is particularly precarious, given the fragile and rapidly evolving context.
Severe drought, conflict, and dwindling humanitarian assistance have pushed the most vulnerable populations into emergency levels of food insecurity. Without immediate intervention, this trend is likely to persist and potentially escalate, placing those most affected at risk of catastrophic conditions.
As the largest humanitarian organization in Somalia, the World Food Programme plays a crucial role in addressing the country's food security crisis, providing over 90 percent of the overall response. However, mounting funding constraints have resulted in a 50 percent reduction in monthly coverage compared to last year.
“We are seeing a dangerous rise in emergency levels of hunger, and our ability to respond is shrinking by the day,” warned Ross Smith, WFP’s Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response.
"Without urgent funding, families already pushed to the edge will be left with nothing at a time when they need it most."
To maintain essential life-saving operations for 800,000 individuals during the lean season, extending through March 2026, the UN agency requires an additional US$98 million. Should these funds not be secured, deeper reductions to an already insufficient response may result, exacerbating the plight of those most in need and putting more lives at risk of death.
In recent months, severe humanitarian funding shortfalls have cut off hundreds of thousands of Somalis from safe water supplies, putting entire communities at heightened risk of deadly disease outbreaks. The ongoing severe drought in northern Somalia has affected an estimated 2.5 million people across 26 districts, including nearly 900,000 people in severely impacted areas.
Puntland and Somaliland, in particular, are facing a rapidly worsening humanitarian situation. Rural communities there are experiencing acute shortages of water and food. These shortages are being compounded by the funding cuts that have severely weakened the humanitarian response. Women and children are bearing the heaviest burden.
On Friday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) stated that the situation in Somalia is not a seasonal shock but rather "a systemic collapse driven by climate change, insecurity, and the erosion of essential services."
Aid shortages continue to take a growing toll on Somalia's most vulnerable people, leaving them without access to vital healthcare, nutritional support, and safe water. Funding cuts are especially devastating for severely malnourished children, who have lost or will soon lose access to lifesaving treatment.
The 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) calls for $1.42 billion to support 4.6 million Somalis. However, only 21 percent — approximately $300 million — of the requested funds have been received to date.
Somalia is in the midst of a severe and prolonged humanitarian crisis fueled by conflict, poverty, widespread displacement, climate shocks, disease outbreaks, and limited access to basic services. In 2025, approximately one-third of Somalia's population, nearly 6 million people, require humanitarian assistance.
However, at least 9.1 million Somalis, out of a population of 19.3 million, are affected by the crisis. Ongoing conflict, escalating clan violence, and extreme weather events caused by climate change have sparked widespread displacement.
An estimated 4.4 million Somalis remain displaced. Of those, 3.5 million are displaced within Somalia, and over 900,000 have fled to neighboring countries. In the first half of 2025 alone, more than 225,000 people were newly displaced in Somalia due to conflict, drought, and floods.