The Somali government and the U.N. warn that about 6.5 million people now face acute hunger as drought devastates crops, livestock and water supplies, with children accounting for over a third of those at risk. The U.N. World Food Programme has already cut aid from 2.2 million to just over 600,000 beneficiaries amid a critical funding shortfall. While April–June rains could ease conditions, the IPC projects roughly 5.5 million people will remain in crisis and 1.6 million in emergency levels without substantial new funding.
Drought Pushes 6.5 Million Somalis Into Acute Hunger; Aid Cuts Threaten Millions
An internally displaced Somali woman receives food rations in the outskirt of Mogadishu, Somalia, March 20, 2024 REUTERS/Feisal Omar/File Photo
MOGADISHU, Feb 24 (Reuters) - About 6.5 million people in Somalia now face acute hunger as a severe drought deepens, the Somali government and the United Nations said on Tuesday. The warning comes days after the U.N. food agency said food aid could grind to a halt by April without new funding.
Somalia declared a national drought emergency in November after successive seasons of failed rains. Several neighbouring countries have also been hit by poor rainfall, compounding regional food insecurity.
In a joint statement, the government and the U.N. said more than a third of those at risk of acute malnutrition are children. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced, many crowding into makeshift camps in Mogadishu and other urban centres.
George Conway, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia: "The drought ... has deepened alarmingly, with soaring water prices, limited food supplies, dying livestock, and very little humanitarian funding."
Personal accounts highlight the crisis: Hawo Abdi said she lost two children to illness after the drought devastated her home in the Bay region. From a shelter on Mogadishu's outskirts she said she fled when conditions worsened. Abdiyo Ali, forced to abandon her farm in Lower Shabelle, described how farms were destroyed, livestock died and water sources moved too far away.
Last week the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) estimated 4.4 million people faced acute hunger and said it had already cut assistance from 2.2 million beneficiaries earlier this year to just over 600,000 due to funding shortfalls. It remains unclear whether the 6.5 million figure reflects a sudden worsening of needs or different assessment methods.
The government and U.N. figures match numbers released on Tuesday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the global standard for assessing food crises. While rains in the April–June season could provide relief, the statement warned that about 5.5 million people are expected to remain at crisis level or worse, including 1.6 million classified at the emergency level without substantial new funding and aid.
Key drivers: prolonged failed rains, dying livestock and soaring water prices, displacement to urban camps, and an urgent funding gap that has forced steep cuts in food assistance.
Reporting and assessments continue as humanitarian agencies seek new funding to prevent further deterioration of the crisis.
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