UN Data Shows Somalia Drought Pushing 6.5 Million Toward Hunger

Somalia’s food security emergency is entering a sharper phase, with new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification data indicating a broadening population at risk and a deteriorating operating environment for humanitarian agencies. Officials from the federal government and U.N. agencies warned Tuesday that drought conditions, insecurity, and funding reductions are converging to deepen the crisis.

Crisis Metrics And Projections

The IPC assessment projects that 6.5 million people will face crisis or worse levels of food insecurity by the end of March. The same dataset estimates that 1.84 million children under age 5 are expected to suffer acute malnutrition in 2026. Of these, nearly 500,000 are classified as severely malnourished, the most life-threatening category.

These figures quantify a sustained shock rather than a short-term fluctuation. Even if rainfall during the main April-June rainy season performs at average levels, 5.5 million people are expected to remain in crisis or worse later in 2026, according to officials briefed on the analysis.

Rainfall Deficit And Resource Stress

The current drought is linked to lower-than-average rainfall, triggering crop failures, livestock losses, rising food prices, and internal displacement. Water shortages are intensifying across southern and central Somalia, where officials say conditions are unlikely to substantially improve even with average seasonal rains.

“The drought emergency in Somalia has deepened alarmingly, with soaring water prices, limited food supplies, dying livestock and very little humanitarian funding,” said George Conway, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Somalia. He added that urgent lifesaving assistance will be essential in the coming months, with no rainfall expected until April.

Displacement And Systemic Disruption

Drought and conflict displaced approximately 278,000 people between July and December, according to U.N. estimates. The displacement wave disrupted agricultural production, market access, and aid delivery channels, compounding the effects of water scarcity and price volatility.

Officials described a feedback loop: insecurity restricts access, reduced access undermines assistance delivery, and declining assistance heightens vulnerability.

Historically low levels of humanitarian support, linked to global funding cuts, have forced partners to decrease or suspend critical programs in food security, health, nutrition, and water and sanitation.

Funding Constraints And Operational Impact

The Somali government and the United Nations emphasized that substantial reductions in global humanitarian financing are now directly shaping outcomes on the ground.

Mohamud Moallim Abdulle, commissioner of the Somalia Disaster Management Agency, called the drought’s severity “undeniable and deeply alarming,” urging international partners, businesses, civil society, and the Somali diaspora to scale up immediate support.