GENEVA — United Nations agencies have warned that Somalia is facing a rapidly escalating hunger crisis that could tip parts of the country into famine without urgent international intervention and increased humanitarian funding.
In a joint statement, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization Food and Agriculture Organization, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA, UNICEF, and the World Food Programme World Food Programme said nearly six million people — about 31 percent of Somalia’s population — are expected to face acute food insecurity between April and June 2026.
The agencies reported that around 1.9 million people are already experiencing emergency levels of hunger, a figure that has tripled within a year based on the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis.
They warned of a confirmed famine risk in the Burhakaba district of Somalia’s Bay region, where prolonged drought, rising food prices and limited humanitarian access could push conditions into full-scale catastrophe if seasonal rains fail.
Humanitarian agencies urged an immediate expansion of life-saving assistance, including food aid, nutrition support, healthcare and water services for populations in crisis-level categories. They stressed that sustained international funding is essential to prevent a worsening disaster.
FAO Somalia representative Etienne Peterschmitt warned that the country is once again on the brink of famine due to overlapping pressures from drought, inflation in food and fuel prices, and potential climate-driven flooding linked to El Niño conditions.
UNICEF Somalia representative Sandra Lattouf said children are bearing the brunt of the crisis, calling the situation “rapidly worsening” and warning that time is running out to prevent widespread loss of life.
World Food Programme official Hameed Nuru said further delays in response could prove fatal as families exhaust coping strategies and aid resources remain limited.
According to officials speaking from Geneva, the situation is deteriorating faster than anticipated. Children are the most affected, with nearly 1.9 million suffering from acute malnutrition, including about 493,000 in severe condition requiring urgent treatment.
More than 500 health and nutrition centres across Somalia have shut down due to funding shortages, while measles cases have doubled in early 2026 compared to the same period last year.
Humanitarian funding remains critically low, with only 15.2 percent of Somalia’s 2026 response plan currently financed, leaving nearly 90 percent of affected populations without adequate assistance.
Officials stressed that there is still a narrow opportunity to prevent famine through rapid and coordinated international action.
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