Somalia Hunger Crisis Grows as 1.85M Children at Risk of Malnutrition
In a statement, the WFP said the country’s climate outlook remains dire. La Niña and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole are expected to prolong unpredictable rainfall and drought conditions.
The statement added: “Conditions are expected to intensify drought in the north, hinder recovery efforts in the south, and heighten the risk of crop failure, livestock losses, and water scarcity.”
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) also reported that drought conditions in northern regions have worsened and are now spreading to central and southern parts of Somalia.
The UN highlighted particularly severe impacts in Nugaal, Mudug, Bari, and Sanaag, where communities are enduring the fourth consecutive season of poor rainfall. “Millions of people are at risk of worsening hunger and malnutrition due to funding shortfalls,” the office warned.
Food assistance is set to drop sharply in November, with only 350,000 people expected to receive aid, down from 1.1 million in August, according to UNOCHA.
The UN, citing local authorities, noted that water prices have surged from $12 to $15 for a 200-litre barrel and are projected to rise further, adding pressure on nearly 35,000 displaced residents in parts of Puntland state.
Somalia previously endured five consecutive failed rainy seasons between late 2020 and late 2022, the longest such period in decades. The resulting drought in 2023 left 5 million people in acute food insecurity.
The East African nation also suffered one of its worst famines in 2011, which claimed over 26,000 lives, according to the UN.
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