Somali Observatory for Humanitarian Affairs It is a specialized, independent, non-profit media network that observes and follows up the Somali humanitarian scene
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NAIROBI — The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced a severe reduction in food assistance for hundreds of thousands of people in Somalia, a nation struggling with acute hunger and the devastating impacts of climate change.
The WFP confirmed, according to the Associated Press (AP), that the number of people receiving emergency food assistance in Somalia will decrease sharply from 1.1 million in August to just 350,000 in November due to “critical funding shortfalls.”
Ross Smith, the agency’s Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, stated, “We are seeing a dangerous rise in emergency levels of hunger, and our ability to respond is shrinking by the day. Without urgent funding, families already pushed to the edge will be left with nothing at a time when they need it most.”
According to the latest UN report, 4.6 million people in Somalia are facing crisis levels of hunger. Furthermore, 1.8 million children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year, including 421,000 facing severe malnutrition. The UN food agency has only been able to assist approximately 180,000 of these vulnerable children.
The financial crisis, exacerbated by global cuts in foreign aid—including from the United States—has worsened the response by humanitarian agencies already struggling to meet mounting needs. Somalia continues to grapple with the combined effects of climate shocks (drought and flooding) and persistent insecurity, with the Al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabab controlling some regions.
The WFP urgently requires $98 million to “sustain a minimum of life-saving operations for 800,000 people through the lean season until March 2026.”
