Somalia’s Hunger Crisis Intensifies Amid Delayed Iran Conflict

The gentle cry of a child resonates with unexpected hope in the overcrowded Ladan displacement camp in southern Somalia, a place where malnourished children often lack the strength to express distress.

For the mothers residing here, the primary focus is survival, overshadowing global events like the Middle East conflict or the complexities of UNICEF’s relief logistics.

These families have fled the unforgiving drought devastating the Horn of Africa. Four consecutive failed rainy seasons have left their farmlands barren and livestock decimated, leading them to the camp with little more than their children.

The ongoing war in Iran, thousands of kilometers away, complicates relief efforts, escalating fuel prices and disrupting supply chains, warn aid workers. Although UNICEF has prepared $15.7 million worth of essential supplies, including therapeutic food, vaccines, and mosquito nets for Somalia, the uncertainty of delivery looms large.

The United Nations agency anticipates transport costs could surge by 30% to 60%, potentially doubling on certain routes, with rerouting and backlogs causing further delays.

Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s executive director, described the Iran war as a major disruption during her visit to Dollow on Wednesday.

“It means that we can’t get supplies in as easily, and that fuel costs are really high,” she explained. “It’s another problem we have to try to deal with, and it means that more and more children will suffer.”

Compounding these challenges, over 400 health and nutrition centers have shuttered across Somalia in the past year, primarily due to U.S. funding reductions, leaving communities without critical support. Aid organizations caution that additional closures may follow.

In Ladan, the youngest are most at risk as food insecurity deepens.

“What we’re seeing is that children are really on the edge already,” Russell emphasized.

In the capital, Mogadishu, the Somali government recently warned that nearly 6.5 million people out of a population exceeding 20 million face severe hunger, as drought persists amid escalating conflict and global aid cuts.

Beyond humanitarian needs, Somalia contends with its protracted battle against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militant group, in efforts to reclaim territory from the extremists.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global hunger monitoring group, 1.84 million Somali children under five are projected to experience acute malnutrition in 2026.

In Ladan, a sea of makeshift shelters stretches across the dusty outskirts—fragile constructions of plastic and fabric supported by sticks and thorn branches. The camp shelters roughly 4,500 households.

“We just want our children to survive,” expressed Shamso Nur Hussein, a 20-year-old widow with three children, who escaped the Bakool region after losing her livestock.

Her cooking area, just three stones and ash, lay cold without signs of a recent meal.

“Since morning, we have only had black tea,” she told The Associated Press (AP) at the camp.

At the Dollow hospital, mothers clutch frail children on narrow beds, with some too weak to cry and others softly whimpering.

Liban Roble, a nutrition program coordinator, noted a shift in cases. “Now we are receiving children in extremely critical condition, severely malnourished, weak, and in some cases almost skeletal,” he reported.

The hospital’s resources will only last until mid or late April, Roble said, warning that without replenishment, more children could suffer or perish.

At Ladan’s nutrition center, health workers weigh children and administer peanut-based paste, a crucial intervention for malnourished children.

“Their weakened bodies make them vulnerable to pneumonia, diarrhea, and other illnesses,” nurse Abdimajid Adan Hussein explained.

However, community leaders argue that current support is insufficient.

“We used to receive aid from humanitarian agencies, but that stopped in September 2025,” said Abdifatah Mohamed Osman, Ladan’s deputy chairman. “Now the little support we get is mainly therapeutic food for malnourished children.”