Oxfam urges action as 6 million Somalis face acute hunger

Saturday May 16, 2026

Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia is edging back toward famine as drought, soaring food and fuel costs and severe cuts to humanitarian funding leave more than 6 million people facing acute hunger, Oxfam has warned.

Fresh data from the U.N.-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification shows that nearly one in three Somalis is now living with crisis-level hunger or worse, or IPC Phase 3 and above. Within that group, nearly 1.9 million people are already in emergency food insecurity, just one step short of famine.

“Somalia is once again sliding dangerously close to catastrophe,” said Sameer Kariya, Oxfam’s Somalia humanitarian lead. “More than 6 million people, nearly one in every three people are struggling to find food.”

Oxfam said the country’s vulnerability has deepened after three straight poor rainy seasons. Burhakaba district in Bay region is of particular concern, with worsening acute malnutrition and the likely failure of the Gu rains, which typically run from April to June.

“Water sources have dried up while crops and livestock continue to be wiped out and families forced to abandon their homes in search of water and pasture. For communities and particularly women, it’s no longer about rebuilding but surviving to find at least one meal a day to keep their children alive.”

Across the worst-hit areas, wells and other water sources have run dry, harvests have failed and livestock losses have stripped families of both food and income. Many households have been pushed to move in search of water, food and pasture.

“For communities and particularly women, it’s no longer about rebuilding but surviving to find at least one meal a day to keep their children alive,” Kariya said.

The hardship is being amplified by a sharp rise in living costs tied to disruption in global supply routes, including conflict around the Strait of Hormuz. Oxfam said food prices in Somalia have climbed by 30%, while fuel costs are up 50%, putting essential goods beyond the reach of millions.

The same disruptions have also made emergency relief harder and more expensive to move into affected areas. Oxfam warned that, without an end to the blockage, prices for basic goods could climb even further.

“The conflict in the Strait of Hormuz is further driving up cost of living with food prices rising by 30% and fuel cost increasing by 50% putting basic necessities out of reach for millions of people. Disruption to supply routes are also making it significantly harder and more expensive to deliver lifesaving aid to those most in need, with no foreseeable ending of the blockage, Oxfam fears prices of the basic commodities will continue to exacerbate further.

Somalia’s aid response has also been battered by major funding shortfalls, forcing humanitarian agencies to make painful choices over which communities receive assistance and which are left out.

Under the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, 4.8 million people in Somalia require humanitarian assistance, while 2.4 million have been targeted for aid. Yet funding remains far below the level needed, leaving the response stretched even as hunger deepens.

“The world must not wait for famine to be declared before acting — by then, countless lives will have been lost,” Kariya said. “Urgent support must be delivered immediately.”

Somalia’s last famine, in 2011, killed about 250,000 people. Aid groups have repeatedly cautioned that delayed intervention, conflict, climate shocks and funding cuts could once again trap vulnerable communities in a crisis that turns deadly before help arrives.