The Somali Government and UN Alert: Drought, Conflict, and Surging Food Costs Threaten to Leave 4.4 Million Facing Hunger
Somalia Braces for Increased Hunger Amid Drought and Conflict
MOGADISHU, Somalia – February 26, 2025. In the heart of the Horn of Africa, a staggering 4.4 million people in Somalia could soon be left grappling with hunger as drought tightens its grip on the land. Considering the worsening drought conditions, ongoing conflict, and sky-high food prices, one cannot help but ask: what keeps people in these harsh conditions day after day?
The Federal Government of Somalia, along with United Nations agencies, has issued a clarion call, emphasizing the dire consequences of neglect. Failure to gather enough resources for humanitarian assistance could spell disaster. Remember, it was only in 2022 that the country teetered on famine due to relentless droughts, an ordeal that claimed the lives of thousands, half of which were innocent children.
Today’s urgent message comes from a coalition of concerned organizations: the Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UNICEF, and the World Food Programme (WFP). Together, they paint a concerning picture, showing that 3.4 million individuals are already enduring severe hunger. This figure is expected to rise sharply to 4.4 million by mid-2025—a sobering 23% of the Somali populace—especially as Gu rains are forecast to fall short.
“A worsening drought casts a dark shadow over communities already battling a confluence of crises,” asserts His Excellency Mohamuud Moallim, Commissioner of SoDMA. “Our people face the ruthless impacts not just of nature’s fury but of human conflict and dwindling humanitarian aid. We need swift, united action to protect lives and bolster resilience against these overlapping threats devastating our communities.”
Imagine the hardest-hit households, those eking out a living on sparse agricultural yields who have seen their food reserves vanish. Among them walk internally displaced persons (IDPs) and pastoralists struggling with meager livestock earnings. Can you see their plight? Can you feel their urgency?
“As unpredictable rain favours no crop and conflict sows discord, families find themselves losing ground,” notes FAO Somalia’s Country Representative Etienne Peterschmitt. FAO’s response is invigorated by taking bold strides in promoting climate-smart agriculture and expanding resilient agrifood systems. They champion early warning systems, ensuring communities brace themselves against shocks before catastrophe strikes, thereby softening the blow of ensuing food crises.
Yet, the plight remains severe. Acute funding shortages have slashed essential life-saving programs. The UN pleads for expediency in delivering funds that could make a remarkable difference—funds destined for food, nutrition, water, sanitation, and livelihoods. Their target is immense: US$1.42 billion requested for the 2025 humanitarian response plan, with only a mere 12.4% secured thus far.
“Persistent climate disruptions, unyielding conflict, and poverty’s tight grip have shredded Somalia’s social fabric, leaving agencies struggling to extend a lifeline,” admits Crispen Rukasha of OCHA Somalia. “We are on a tightrope, needing funds to cover the most urgent needs. Can we afford to falter at this critical juncture?”
Furthermore, the harsh reality for Somalia’s youngest is daunting. An estimated 1.7 million children under five risk acute malnutrition by the end of 2025, with a sharp focus on 466,000 facing the severe form—upward by nine percent from last year. In southern Somalia, widely regarded as the epicenter of suffering, the conditions are harshest.
UNICEF Somalia Representative Nisar Syed encapsulates a chilling truth: “Children are the innocent casualties, overtaken by malnourishment and diseases. Our mission is preventative: providing clean water, essential micronutrients, training caregivers to spot danger signs early. Only a multi-sector approach can guide us towards resilience. We stand ready, engaging openly with all stakeholders, to forge an unwavering health system for future crises.”
The IPC findings corroborate the devastating aftermath of erratic 2024 rains—flooded crops, vanished pastures, and the displacement of thousands. It is a grim echo of nature’s fury. “We narrowly avoided famine in 2022; without large-scale aid, it looms again,” El-Khidir Daloum, WFP’s Country Director, somberly reflects. “Why should we let scarcity and need be the story of our era when action and assistance can rewrite a different future?”
Source: WFP
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring
