The World Food Programme has warned that its life-saving emergency food and nutrition operations in Somalia are at imminent risk of shutting down without immediate new funding. Resources are expected to run out within weeks, threatening to halt assistance to millions of vulnerable people. The alert comes shortly after the declaration of a national drought emergency caused by severe water shortages, crop and livestock losses, and widespread displacement—conditions similar to the 2022 crisis when famine was narrowly avoided due to large-scale international support.
Somalia is currently facing one of its most complex hunger emergencies in recent years, driven by two consecutive failed rainy seasons, ongoing conflict, and a sharp decline in humanitarian funding. Around 4.4 million people—nearly a quarter of the population—are experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse, including nearly one million people suffering from severe hunger. Humanitarian officials warn that families have already exhausted their coping mechanisms and are at risk of sliding deeper into extreme deprivation without urgent food assistance.
As the largest humanitarian agency operating in Somalia, WFP plays a central role in the country’s food security response. In 2022, when the longest drought in recorded history pushed Somalia to the brink of famine, WFP rapidly scaled up operations with strong donor support, reaching record numbers of vulnerable people and helping prevent catastrophe. The agency maintains that it has the operational capacity and field presence to respond again, provided that adequate funding is secured.
However, severe funding gaps have forced WFP to dramatically reduce its assistance. The number of people receiving emergency food aid has dropped from 2.2 million in early 2025 to just over 600,000, meaning only one in seven people in need currently receives support. Nutrition programmes have also been scaled back sharply, declining from nearly 400,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children assisted in October 2025 to just 90,000 by December. Without urgent financial contributions, WFP has warned that it may be forced to suspend humanitarian operations by April.
To sustain operations between March and August 2026, WFP urgently requires $95 million. The agency cautions that failure to secure immediate funding could trigger devastating humanitarian, security, and economic consequences not only for Somalia but also for the wider region, underscoring the urgency of international action to prevent a deepening crisis.
