The United Nations and its humanitarian partners, along with the Somali government, launched the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) on Monday to support millions of people across Somalia this year. The launch comes at an unprecedented time for the country, as funding shortfalls are squeezing humanitarian programs while the country is facing a severe drought.
This year's plan calls for US$852 million in funding, which is 40 percent less than last year's request. However, this reduction in requirements is due to constrained resources, not reduced needs. The HNRP aims to support only 2.4 million people in 2026, less than half of those in need of humanitarian assistance, leaving significant gaps in essential services.
Last year, the Response Plan received only 27 percent — or $397 million — of the requested $1.4 billion. A brutal cut in donor funding in 2025, primarily by the United States and Germany, forced humanitarian organizations to scale back or suspend critical programs, which drastically reduced life-saving operations and endangered millions of lives.
“The humanitarian community in Somalia stands at a critical crossroads as unprecedented funding reductions have significantly constrained the collective capacity to deliver essential and life-saving assistance,” said George Conway, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.
“Millions of people who have relied on humanitarian aid for decades are now losing their only source of support. In large parts of the country, humanitarian presence has diminished at a time when needs remain high, increasing the risk of loss of lives.”
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that water scarcity has reached critical levels in several areas. In parts of the Middle Shabelle region, for example, the Shabelle River has dried up, leaving dozens of villages without reliable water sources.
Aid agencies are seeing a similar pattern in several regions: water is drying up, boreholes are failing, and the cost of water is rising. As a result, livestock are migrating abnormally, more animals are dying, and families are being forced to abandon their homes.
The drought is likely to drive more people from their homes to urban areas and displacement sites where living conditions and livelihood opportunities are already extremely limited.
OCHA warns that, without urgent and scaled-up assistance, the combination of prolonged drought, collapsed livelihoods, displacement, disease outbreaks, and reduced humanitarian aid will exacerbate food insecurity, water shortages, and health risks.
“This plan is launched at a critical moment, as Somalia faces a severe and escalating drought following consecutive failed rainy seasons,” said Mohamud Moallim, Commissioner of the Somalia Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA). “
Somali authorities estimate that more than 4.6 million people, around a quarter of Somalia's population, are affected by the ongoing drought. The deepening drought emergency follows the poor outcomes of the Gu (April–June) and Deyr (October–December) rains.
“Water sources are depleted, rangelands are degraded, livelihoods have been eroded, and millions of people are being pushed into acute food insecurity and displacement,” Moallim said.
“Combined with ongoing conflict and recurrent climate shocks, the scale of this crisis demands an immediate, coordinated, and life-saving response.”
Somalia is facing an intensifying humanitarian crisis caused by the prolonged drought, ongoing conflict, and frequent disease outbreaks. In 2026, it is estimated that 4.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, which is a 20 percent reduction compared to 2025. The reduction does not reflect improved conditions, but rather a stricter definition of needs, as the 2026 HNRP prioritizes life-saving assistance.
Due to limited resources, humanitarian organizations will prioritize 1.6 million people living in the most severe conditions across 21 high-risk districts, with the main objective of saving lives and alleviating suffering. This includes providing essential services, protection, and cross-cutting support to help families quickly and efficiently meet their urgent needs.
Somalia remains in the grip of a severe food insecurity crisis. According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, 4.4 million Somalis are currently experiencing crisis levels of hunger or worse, including over 920,000 people facing emergency levels. This number is expected to rise in the coming months.
The nutritional situation is equally alarming. Nearly 1.9 million children under five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition. Of those children, more than 420,000 suffer from severe acute malnutrition (SAM), and 1.43 million suffer from moderate acute malnutrition (MAM).