Mogadishu/Addis Ababa — May 25, 2026 — A devastating drought continues to grip Somalia and Ethiopia’s Somali region, leaving millions facing hunger, displacement, and disease after four consecutive failed rainy seasons. The crisis, driven by climate change and collapsing humanitarian funding, has pushed communities to the brink of survival.
In Somalia, more than 6.5 million people — one in four Somalis — are experiencing acute food insecurity, with 2 million in extreme conditions and 1.84 million children under five expected to suffer from malnutrition this year. Families like Tahliil Abdulahi Cali’s have lost most of their livestock, while others, such as Regay Ali in Baidoa, have fled their homes in search of water and food.
Across displacement camps, water scarcity is worsening. Many families receive only two jerry cans per day, far below survival needs. Rising water prices and non‑functional boreholes have increased the risk of water‑borne diseases. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports that its facilities in Baidoa are overwhelmed, treating alarming numbers of severely malnourished children.
The drought’s impact extends into Ethiopia’s Somali region, where communities in Afder and Shebelle zones face livestock losses, acute water shortages, and rising malnutrition. Residents like Isaq Ibrahim Mohamed describe walking hours to fetch untreated river water shared with animals, leading to diarrhoea and disease outbreaks.
As global funding collapses, humanitarian operations are shrinking. Somalia’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is funded at just 10.9 percent, forcing the World Food Programme to cut assistance from over two million people to only 600,000. More than 300,000 have lost access to safe water, and dozens of health facilities have closed.
MSF continues to provide emergency water, sanitation, and nutrition support — distributing 30 million litres of safe water in Baidoa and three million litres near Galkayo — but warns that needs far exceed available resources.
“This scale of need cannot be met by any single organization,” said Mohammed Omar, MSF’s Head of Programs in Somalia. “We call on the international community to urgently step up support before more lives are lost to preventable causes.”
As the Horn of Africa faces its worst drought in decades, the call for sustained and flexible funding grows louder — a plea to prevent further suffering and ensure that communities like those in Somalia and Ethiopia are not left behind.
