The United Nations and its humanitarian partners, together with the Government of Somalia, launched the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) for Somalia on Wednesday. The plan, which requires US$1.43 billion, aims to support some 4.6 million of the country's most vulnerable people out of 5.98 million in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance and protection this year.
According to the HNRP, 9.1 million Somalis out of a population of 19.3 million are affected by the ongoing humanitarian crisis. This means that 47 percent of the population has been affected by armed conflict, floods, drought, disease outbreaks and displacement that have disrupted lives and livelihoods, resulting in multiple humanitarian needs.
“Across Somalia, as a result of recurrent shocks, food insecurity and malnutrition remain widespread,” said George Conway, Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.
“Humanitarian and development partners will be working towards a more integrated response that is informed by the priorities of affected communities and delivered through decentralized coordination structures.”
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Somalia continues to face a complex and protracted humanitarian crisis, fueled by conflict, insecurity, poverty, widespread displacement, climate shocks, disease outbreaks and lack of access to basic services.
In 2024, the humanitarian situation in Somalia improved slightly from previous years, which were marked by widespread conflict, devastating droughts and severe flooding.
OCHA said the improvements are related to investments in early warning, preparedness and improved collaboration between humanitarian agencies and authorities, as well as increased response capacity of the Government, led by the Somalia Disaster Management Agency (SODMA).
“The Somali Government remains committed to leading and coordinating the national response in close collaboration with our humanitarian partners, development agencies, and the international community,” Mohamud Moalim, SODMA Commissioner
Some 6 million Somalis - a decrease of 1 million from 2024 - are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance in 2025, with women, girls and marginalized communities particularly vulnerable. Despite significant access challenges and funding shortfalls, humanitarian organizations were able to reach 3.5 million people in Somalia with at least one form of assistance last year.
“We are committed to provide lifesaving assistance to those most in need, particularly vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly,” said Conway.
“I call upon international community to support our efforts with urgent funding and resources, ensuring that no one is left behind in this ongoing crisis.”
Following the poor October-December Deyr rains, the country is now experiencing widespread drought.
The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis shows that 4.4 million people in Somalia are experiencing crisis levels of hunger (IPC3 or worse), with nearly 1 million people estimated to be in emergency levels (IPC 4).
Approximately 1.6 million children under the age of five are at risk of acute malnutrition, with 403,000 at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
Millions of Somalis are at risk of increased hunger as below-average rainfall in the coming months, associated with the La Niña weather phenomenon, could reverse the gains made in food security in recent months.
Somalis are still recovering from the effects of the historic drought of 2020-2023 and the devastating floods of late 2023 and mid-2024. The 2020-2023 drought reached unprecedented levels in 2022 and came to an end in the second quarter of 2023.
Five consecutive rainy seasons had failed, the longest and most severe drought in Somalia's recent history. Improved access to water and pasture in 2023 and 2024 has mitigated the effects of the severe and prolonged, record-breaking drought.
Ongoing conflict, escalating clan violence, and recurrent climatic shocks have led to widespread displacement. As of January 2025, an estimated 4.5 million Somalis remain displaced. While an estimated 3.5 million people are internally displaced within Somalia, more than 900,000 Somalis have sought refuge in neighboring countries due to climatic shocks and armed conflict.
Women and children make up more than 80 percent of the displaced. While 477,000 people were newly internally displaced between January and November 2024, internal displacement decreased by 85 percent from the record high of more than 2.9 million people in 2023.
In 2024, conflict was the main driver of new internal displacement, as inter-clan fighting surged in several regions last year. Most people forced to flee their homes remained within the same region.
Insecurity persists in Somalia, with attacks by the extremist group Al-Shabab (AS) and clan violence taking a heavy toll on civilians. The military offensive by government and allied forces against non-state armed groups, particularly Al-Shabab, continued in 2024, although with less intensity than in the previous two years.
The security situation in Somalia remains highly volatile and difficult to predict. Al-Shabab remains the main security threat, even though the Islamic State of Somalia (IS) has become increasingly active in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.
IS in Somalia was formed in October 2015 by a group of former Al-Shabab fighters led by cleric Sheikh Abdulkadir Mumin, who reportedly pledged allegiance to the late IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Security experts have reported that IS has expanded its membership in Somalia over the past year. The group was previously estimated to number between 100 and 400 fighters, but Somali experts place the current number at 500 to 600 fighters. Most of the new fighters are said to be from the Middle East as well as eastern and northern Africa.
Further information
Full text: Somalia 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), report, published January 22, 2025
https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia/somalia-2025-humanitarian-needs-and-response-plan-hnrp