Somali PM, German minister discuss drought crisis, security, and political reforms in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU — Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre met Monday with a senior German delegation for talks on Somalia’s deepening humanitarian crisis, security cooperation and political reforms, as drought-driven displacement and hunger surge across the country.

The delegation, led by Germany’s Minister of State for Economic Cooperation and Development, Niels Annen, and including Ambassador Sebastian Groth, discussed emergency assistance, stabilization and development priorities, according to Somali officials. The talks also covered Somalia’s political transition, including preparations for direct local elections, progress on finalizing the Provisional Constitution, and the federal government’s offer of dialogue with the Somali Future Council.

Barre briefed the visiting officials on military operations against extremist groups and the government’s efforts to keep relief corridors open amid worsening needs. Annen emphasized Germany’s long-standing ties with Somalia and pledged to strengthen cooperation based on mutual interests, Somali authorities said. The prime minister reiterated Somalia’s intent to contribute actively to regional and global peace efforts, including through its current term as a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.

The meeting came as humanitarian needs reach alarming levels after a fourth consecutive failed rainy season decimated crops and livestock, the backbone of rural livelihoods. An assessment by Islamic Relief in southern Somalia found severe food shortages among families who fled parched rural areas and settled in crowded displacement sites.

Around 3.3 million people have been uprooted nationwide, many of them seeking shelter around urban hubs with scant services. In camps ringing Baidoa, the interim capital of Bay region, Islamic Relief reported that more than 70% of displaced families are surviving on one meal a day or less, with aid workers observing visible signs of malnutrition and wasting among children.

Humanitarian agencies estimate 5.9 million people in Somalia require assistance, and about 1.85 million children are expected to suffer acute malnutrition this year. Parts of neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia are also straining under severe drought, but aid groups warn Somalia faces the gravest emergency and is approaching a critical peak absent a rapid scaling of relief.

Somali officials say the government is trying to balance life-saving response with efforts to stabilize newly recovered areas and advance long-delayed political reforms. Authorities have appealed for stepped-up international support to expand food, nutrition, health, water and protection services, particularly in hard-to-reach districts where insecurity complicates access.

Monday’s engagement with Germany reflects a push to align diplomatic and development support with immediate humanitarian needs. Berlin has been a steady backer of relief and recovery initiatives in Somalia, channeling funds through U.N. agencies and international NGOs while supporting governance, vocational training and resilience programs designed to blunt the impact of climate shocks.

Analysts say the current emergency underscores the need to link relief to longer-term investments: restoring water infrastructure, protecting remaining herds, diversifying livelihoods, and supporting local administrations to deliver basic services in areas retaken from extremist control. Without such measures, aid workers warn, families exhausted by repeated shocks will continue to cycle between displacement camps and devastated rural communities.

For now, the most urgent priorities remain food assistance and nutrition screening for children and pregnant and lactating women, alongside clean water and basic health care. With the April–June rains uncertain and food prices elevated, agencies caution that early and flexible funding is essential to avert further deterioration in the coming months.

Somalia’s leaders have framed international partnerships as critical to navigating this moment: shoring up immediate humanitarian operations, consolidating fragile security gains and keeping the country’s political transition on track. Monday’s talks with Germany, officials said, sought to lock in that alignment before the next hunger season takes hold.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.