UN Officials Warn One-Third of Somalis May Face Hunger by March

UNITED NATIONS — Somalia’s hunger crisis is accelerating, with 6.5 million people — about a third of the country — projected to face crisis levels of food insecurity through March, United Nations officials warned Thursday, citing a new assessment that shows sharp deterioration since January.

Speaking to reporters via video link from UN headquarters, World Food Programme Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response Ross Smith said the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report for Somalia, released Tuesday, “confirmed fears that the humanitarian situation in Somalia has significantly worsened.”

Key indicators underscore the scale of the emergency:

• 6.5 million people in crisis or worse food insecurity through March, up 1.7 million since January
• About 2 million of the most vulnerable women and children expected to face severe hunger
• More than 1.8 million children under 5 projected to suffer acute malnutrition in 2026

“Of these, two million of the most vulnerable women and children are expected to face severe hunger,” Smith said, adding that more than 1.8 million children under 5 will face acute malnutrition this year.

Humanitarian agencies warned that compounding shocks are driving the crisis. Two consecutive rainy seasons have failed, conflict and insecurity persist, and thousands have been displaced in search of food, shelter and basic services, Smith said.

At the same time, relief operations are running short of money. “Agencies in Somalia, including WFP, are facing a severe lack of resources,” Smith warned. Without urgent funding, he said, WFP will be forced to scale back life-saving emergency food and nutrition assistance for the most vulnerable — and could soon see those programs come to a halt.

The Food and Agriculture Organization described a deepening agricultural collapse tied to the drought. “Concretely, this means widespread crop and livestock losses in addition to large-scale displacements of people,” said Rein Paulsen, director of FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience.

Somalia’s last main cereal harvest was 83 percent below the 1995–2025 long-term average, Paulsen said, while livestock births have also dropped — a double blow to rural families who rely on staple grains and herds for survival and income. He stressed the urgency of life-saving assistance to protect lives and measures to prevent the collapse of rural farming and pastoral livelihoods.

FAO said it needs $85 million immediately to support 1 million of the most vulnerable, high-risk and underserved rural people, but has secured just $6 million to date. The gap threatens to widen food deficits ahead of the next planting season and hinder essential support such as drought-tolerant seeds, veterinary services and water access for herders.

The IPC report’s findings and the agencies’ funding alarms come as Somalia navigates overlapping crises: climate shocks, insecurity that restricts market access and aid delivery, and sustained displacement that strains urban centers and camps. Aid officials say timely injections of cash and commodities can still blunt the worst outcomes — especially for young children and pregnant and lactating women — if donors move quickly.

Without that surge, they warn, the coming weeks will bring deeper hunger in rural heartlands and expanding needs in towns already hosting those who fled failed rains and violence.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.