Humanitarian crisis in Somalia reaches emergency levels with two million people at risk

Published at: 09/04/2026 10:06 AM

The United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Wednesday that at least two million people are suffering from “acute hunger” in Somalia, as a result of an extreme drought that has devastated the African country.

According to the agency, the affected population has climbed to phase 4 of the Integrated Classification of Food Security Stages (CIF), placing the region in a state of “emergency” due to critical scarcity of resources and the depletion of sources of livelihood.

The climate crisis has hit the most vulnerable sectors especially hard. The OCHA explained that more than 1.8 million children under five years of age suffer from acute malnutrition, a figure that reflects the seriousness of this persistent phenomenon.

Added to the lack of food is a widespread shortage of water, massive loss of livestock and forced displacement of entire communities seeking urgent humanitarian assistance.

Although weather forecasts predict rains for the coming days, the UN warned that these will be insufficient to mitigate the catastrophe in the short term. Although rainfall could help recharge aquifers and regenerate grasslands, the agency stressed that “it is unlikely to fully reverse the long-term impact” of one of the most severe droughts recorded in recent Somali history.

Mazo News Team