Geneva, March 5, 2025: An additional one million people in Somalia could face crisis levels of hunger in the coming months due to an anticipated drought and funding shortages, the World Food Program (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
According to Jean-Martin Bauer, director of WFP’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service, food insecurity in Somalia is already dire, with 3.4 million people currently facing acute hunger. This figure is projected to rise to 4.4 million in the next few months.
The increase is attributed to below-average rainfall forecasts from April to June 2025, which could create drought conditions following two consecutive failed rainy seasons.
Hunger disproportionately affects children, and the WFP projects that 1.7 million children under five will face acute malnutrition by December 2025. Of these, 466,000 are at risk of severe acute malnutrition, requiring urgent intervention.
The WFP has already reduced assistance programs, currently supporting 820,000 people—far below the 2.2 million who received aid during peak crisis periods in 2022.
Bauer cautioned that the situation could deteriorate further due to projected drought conditions, high food prices, ongoing conflict and funding cuts, including potential reductions in U.S. aid under President Donald Trump’s administration.
The Horn of Africa previously experienced its worst drought in over four decades in 2022, leading to the deaths of an estimated 43,000 people, according to studies.
With Somalia already teetering on the edge of a major humanitarian crisis, urgent global action is needed to prevent famine-like conditions.
