The United Nations has issued an urgent appeal for humanitarian assistance as an estimated 6 million people across Somalia face critical levels of food insecurity, with one district now at credible risk of famine.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warns that 570,000 people require immediate water assistance, while 1.5 million are in need of food aid. The crisis has been compounded by severe drought, rising food prices, and disruptions to global supply chains linked to conflict in the Middle East.
Children are bearing the heaviest toll. According to UN agencies, over 400,000 children are suffering from acute malnutrition, with nearly 100,000 cases classified as severe.
“The humanitarian context in Somalia is worsening faster than we originally projected,” said George Conway, the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia. “Children are paying the highest price.”
He warned that nearly two million young children are acutely malnourished, placing them at high risk of illness or death. More than 500 health and nutrition facilities have closed across the country due to funding shortfalls, leaving vulnerable populations without access to critical care.
The UN has confirmed a “real and credible risk of famine” in Burhakaba district, located in the Bay region of southwest Somalia. The Somalia Humanitarian Fund has stepped up support to the area, providing US$4.7 million, including a recent US$2 million reserve allocation.
“Without immediate and sustained support from donors, the diaspora and the private sector, we risk a preventable catastrophe unfolding before our eyes,” Conway stated. “We must act now, at scale and without delay.”
The current emergency is driven by a convergence of severe drought following failed rains, conflict and insecurity, and the ripple effects of the Middle East conflict, which has pushed up fuel and food prices. Water trucking costs have more than doubled in some locations, and the price of basic commodities has increased by up to 20 per cent.
Humanitarian assistance remains critically underfunded. The 2026 Somalia Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is currently only 15.2 per cent funded, and nearly 90 per cent of people in need are receiving little or no support.
