MOGADISHU — The United Kingdom has announced £6 million in additional humanitarian funding to help drought-affected communities in Somalia, as escalating climate pressures deepen food insecurity across the country. The pledge came during the first official visit to Somalia by the UK Minister for International Development and Africa, Baroness Jenny Chapman.
Chapman held high-level talks in Mogadishu with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and senior officials, and met humanitarian and security partners. She outlined the UK’s shift from a traditional donor model to an investment-driven development partnership aimed at strengthening resilience to climate shocks, expanding economic opportunity and tackling the drivers of irregular migration.
The minister commended the Federal Government of Somalia’s leadership of the drought response and said the UK would maintain close coordination with Somali authorities and UN agencies to meet urgent needs. Through joint efforts by the government, the UK, the World Bank and the United Nations, more than 500,000 drought-affected people are currently receiving emergency cash assistance, officials said.
Chapman also highlighted the activation of the UK-supported African Risk Capacity insurance policy, which triggered a $3.4 million payout to the Somali government for rapid drought response. The ARC Replica policy was similarly activated for the Start Network and the World Food Programme (WFP), releasing more than $2 million to humanitarian partners. Start Ready, the Start Network’s pre-arranged financing facility, has already disbursed nearly $3 million for anticipatory action to blunt humanitarian impacts before conditions worsen.
During a visit to a WFP warehouse in Mogadishu alongside Deputy Prime Minister Salah Ahmed Jama, Chapman formally announced the £6 million in new assistance. The funding will target the hardest-hit areas and is expected to deliver life-saving support to more than 129,000 people.
The new support is part of a broader £61 million UK package for the 2025/26 financial year designed to address immediate humanitarian needs while tackling structural drivers of crisis. More than £12 million is allocated to a joint partnership between the Federal Government of Somalia, WFP and the World Bank to scale shock-responsive social protection for the most vulnerable drought-affected households.
Chapman underscored the importance of acting early and sustaining cooperation among the UK, Somali authorities, the UN and other partners to protect at-risk communities as climate shocks intensify.
On the security front, the minister met leaders of the United Nations Support Office in Somalia and the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia, expressing appreciation for their ongoing work on stabilization. At the UN air operations facility, she reviewed operational support to African Union and Somali forces, noted UK contributions to both missions and met UK service personnel deployed under Operation Tangham, who provide training to the Somali National Army.
UK assistance, officials said, continues to prioritize strengthening Somali security institutions, countering violent extremism and supporting long-term stability alongside humanitarian and resilience investments.
By the numbers:
- £6 million: New UK humanitarian funding announced in Mogadishu
- £61 million: Total UK package for Somalia in 2025/26
- £12 million+: Allocation for joint shock-responsive social protection
- 500,000+: People receiving emergency cash assistance
- $3.4 million: ARC insurance payout to the Somali government
- $2 million+: ARC Replica funds to Start Network and WFP
- $3 million (nearly): Start Ready anticipatory financing disbursed
- 129,000+: People expected to receive life-saving support from the new UK funds
The announcement adds momentum to Somalia’s use of risk financing and early action tools—mechanisms the UK has supported since inception—to deliver faster, more predictable assistance as climate extremes grow more frequent and severe.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
