Somalia, a country long scarred by conflict and climate disasters, is now teetering on the edge of a catastrophic hunger crisis, as the World Food Programme (WFP) faces a drastic funding shortfall that threatens to cut off life-saving food aid to hundreds of thousands of its most vulnerable citizens. On October 4, 2025, the WFP issued a stark warning: unless urgent international support materializes, up to 750,000 Somalis will be excluded from emergency food distribution programs by November, pushing the country closer to famine-like conditions (Arab News, OkayAfrica).
According to WFP figures cited by Arab News, more than 4.4 million people in Somalia are currently facing acute food insecurity. The situation is especially dire for children: 1.7 million under the age of five are malnourished, and of these, 466,000 are in a critical state. Yet, only 180,000 children are receiving treatment, a direct consequence of resource constraints that have already forced the suspension or reduction of aid to hundreds of thousands (Arab News).
The scale of the crisis is staggering. As reported by OkayAfrica and Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku, the UN’s latest assessment shows that 4.6 million Somalis are experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity in 2025, with 1.8 million children expected to suffer acute malnutrition this year—including 421,000 facing the most severe forms. The WFP, which supports over 90 percent of Somalia’s food security operations, has been compelled to slash its emergency rations dramatically: the number of recipients has dropped from 1.1 million in August to just 350,000 by November. The agency blames “critical funding shortfalls,” as donations from major partners—including the United States and several European governments—have sharply declined (Arab News, OkayAfrica).
“We are seeing a dangerous rise in emergency levels of hunger, and our ability to respond is shrinking by the day,” said Ross Smith, WFP’s director of emergency preparedness and response, in a statement quoted by Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku. “Without urgent funding, families already pushed to the edge will be left with nothing at a time when they need it most.”
This funding crisis is not just a matter of numbers on a spreadsheet. Humanitarian groups warn that ongoing cuts could lead to the closure of health and nutrition centers across the country—some of which have already shut down—leaving vulnerable populations without access to food and basic healthcare (Arab News). The WFP estimates it needs $98 million to sustain a minimum of life-saving operations for 800,000 people through the lean season until March 2026 (OkayAfrica, Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku).
Why has Somalia become so vulnerable to such a devastating hunger crisis? The answer lies in a perfect storm of factors. Somalia remains among the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, having suffered one of its worst droughts in four decades, followed by devastating floods. These climate shocks have compounded displacement, destroyed crops, and decimated livelihoods, leaving millions without reliable sources of food (Arab News, OkayAfrica).
But it’s not just the weather. Decades of conflict and insecurity have left Somalia’s infrastructure in tatters and its people in a near-constant state of emergency. The grip of al-Shabab militants over parts of the country has made it even harder for humanitarian agencies to reach those in need, while ongoing violence forces families to flee their homes, often with nothing but the clothes on their backs (Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku, OkayAfrica).
International aid, once a lifeline for millions of Somalis, has been drying up. The United States, traditionally one of the largest donors, has cut its foreign aid budget, further straining humanitarian groups already struggling to meet rising demand. European governments, too, have reduced their contributions, citing competing global crises and domestic pressures. The result is a funding gap that grows wider by the day, even as the number of hungry mouths increases (Arab News, OkayAfrica).
The consequences are already being felt. According to Arab News, some health and nutrition centers have been forced to close, leaving families with nowhere to turn. The WFP’s latest appeal underscores the urgency of the situation: without an immediate influx of funds, the country risks sliding into famine-like conditions in several regions. By November, up to 750,000 Somalis could find themselves cut off from the emergency food assistance that has kept them alive through years of hardship.
The numbers paint a grim picture, but behind every statistic is a human story. Mothers waiting in line at WFP distribution centers in Mogadishu, clutching empty containers and hoping for a meal for their children. Health workers forced to turn away malnourished toddlers because there simply isn’t enough therapeutic food to go around. Families displaced by floods, their crops washed away, now facing a future where the next meal is never guaranteed (OkayAfrica).
Somalia’s plight is not just a local tragedy—it’s a warning to the world about the cascading effects of climate change, conflict, and waning international solidarity. The convergence of these crises has created a humanitarian emergency that, without urgent intervention, could spiral into a full-blown famine. Humanitarian groups and the WFP are sounding the alarm, but time is running out.
According to the WFP, the agency requires $98 million simply to “sustain a minimum of life-saving operations for 800,000 people through the lean season until March 2026” (OkayAfrica, Kofi Oppong Kyekyeku). That’s the bare minimum needed to prevent the worst outcomes—starvation, disease, and death on a massive scale.
Yet, the world’s attention is often elsewhere, and donor fatigue is real. Other global crises—from wars in Ukraine and Gaza to natural disasters in Asia and the Americas—compete for the same limited pool of humanitarian funding. But as the WFP’s warning makes clear, the cost of inaction in Somalia will be measured in lives lost and futures destroyed.
There are no easy solutions. Reversing the funding cuts will require renewed commitment from international partners, as well as creative approaches to delivering aid in a country where insecurity and climate shocks are the norm. It will also require a recognition that Somalia’s crisis is not isolated, but part of a broader pattern of vulnerability facing many countries on the frontlines of climate change and conflict.
For now, the message from the ground is clear: the people of Somalia cannot wait. As Ross Smith of the WFP put it, “Without urgent funding, families already pushed to the edge will be left with nothing at a time when they need it most.” The world has a choice to make—step up and help, or watch as one of the world’s most vulnerable nations slips further into disaster.
Every day that passes without action brings Somalia closer to catastrophe. The time to act is now.
