UNICEF warns Iran conflict will increase child suffering in Somalia

In southern Somalia’s Ladan camp, a child’s cry can be heard—but for the most malnourished youngsters, even sound can be out of reach. Mothers there are focused on a single question: whether their children will survive.

At the Ladan camp, on the outskirts of the town of Dollow, families who have fled drought-stricken areas arrive with little more than their children. Their farms and livestock were wiped out after four failed rainy seasons, leaving displaced people to seek shelter in crowded conditions where hope is measured in feeding schedules and medical visits rather than faraway conflicts.

Aid workers say fighting in the Middle East—over 3,000 kilometers (1,800 miles) away—has made an already brutal crisis even harder to manage. They cite disruptions to supply chains and sharp increases in fuel costs, both of which affect how quickly essential items can reach Somalia.

Raising the alarm

UNICEF says it has $15.7 million in lifesaving supplies—ranging from therapeutic food and vaccines to mosquito nets—either in transit or being readied for delivery to Somalia. Yet the agency warned that the situation has grown more uncertain.

According to UNICEF, transport expenses could climb by 30% to 60%, and in some corridors could even double. The agency also expects more delays as shipments are rerouted and backlogs build.

During a Wednesday visit to Dollow, Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s executive director, described the war as a “shock to the system” for operations supporting children in Somalia. “It means that we can’t get supplies in as easily, and that fuel costs are really high,” she said. “It’s another problem that we have to try to deal with, and it means that more and more children will suffer.”

On top of supply challenges, UNICEF pointed to the continuing shrinkage of local health services. Over the past year, more than 400 health and nutrition facilities have shut across Somalia, driven mainly by U.S. funding cuts. Many communities now lack basic access to support, and aid agencies warn that additional closures could follow.

For families in Ladan, those disruptions have intensified the danger faced by children, particularly the youngest. Russell said the trend on the ground is unmistakable: “What we’re seeing is that children are really on the edge already.”

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell (center) listens to a woman holding her malnourished child at Dolow Referral Hospital in southern Somalia after being affected by drought, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)

Grim numbers

In Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, the government warned last month that nearly 6.5 million people—out of a population of more than 20 million—are facing severe hunger as drought deepens alongside conflict and global aid reductions.

Beyond emergency assistance, Somalia’s broader crisis is also tied to the country’s long-running war against al-Shabab, a militant group linked to al-Qaida. Somali forces have been working to reclaim territory from the extremists, even as basic services struggle to keep up with escalating need.

Data released by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global hunger monitoring organization, estimates that 1.84 million children under 5 in Somalia are expected to experience acute malnutrition in 2026.

Fending for their lives

In Ladan, shelters made from plastic sheets and torn fabric sprawl across dusty outskirts under harsh sun. The camp holds around 4,500 households, with families living in fragile structures reinforced by sticks and thorn branches.

“We just want our children to survive,” said Shamso Nur Hussein, a 20-year-old widow raising three children. She fled her village in Somalia’s Bakool region after losing all her farm animals.

Inside the camp, Hussein’s cooking hearth—three stones and ash—was cold. When she spoke with The Associated Press, she said, “Since morning we have only had black tea.”

At the hospital in Dollow, mothers sat packed closely on narrow beds, cradling frail children whose conditions ranged from too weak to cry to those letting out soft whimpers.

Liban Roble, a nutrition program coordinator, said the hospital previously handled mostly “moderate cases.” “Now we are receiving children in extremely critical condition — severely malnourished, weak, and in some cases almost skeletal,” he said.

Supplies running low

Roble said the hospital has enough supplies to treat malnourished children only “until mid-April or the end of April.” He warned that if additional stock does not arrive, children could deteriorate further. “If new stock doesn’t arrive, more children will deteriorate and potentially die,” he said.

At the camp’s nutrition center, health workers weighed children and distributed a peanut-based paste, squeezing it into children’s mouths. Nurse Abdimajid Adan Hussein said the paste serves as a lifeline—helping prevent rapid decline among malnourished children. “Their weakened bodies make them vulnerable to pneumonia, diarrhea and other illnesses,” Hussein said.

Community leaders say support is already falling behind need. Abdifatah Mohamed Osman, Ladan’s deputy chairman, said outside assistance has thinned considerably. “We used to receive assistance from humanitarian agencies, but that stopped in September 2025,” he said. “Now the little support we get is mainly therapeutic food for malnourished children.”

Sandra Lattouf, UNICEF Representative in Somalia, smiles at a mother of twin malnourished children at Dolow Referral Hospital in southern Somalia, Wednesday, March 25, 2026.(AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)