UN Emergency Food Aid in Somalia May Halt by April Amid Severe Hunger. Mogadishu, Somalia — The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that emergency food and nutrition assistance in Somalia could be suspended by April due to a critical lack of funding.
The UN agency issued the alert following a report published on Friday, highlighting the nation’s escalating hunger crisis, which has been exacerbated by consecutive failed rainy seasons, ongoing conflict, and a significant decline in humanitarian funding.
According to the WFP, at least 4. 4 million people, or approximately a quarter of Somalia’s population, are facing crisis-levels of food insecurity or worse. This includes nearly one million women, men, and children experiencing severe hunger.
Somalia, a country ranked among the world’s most climate-vulnerable, has been addressing recurrent droughts and floods. Ross Smith, the WFP’s director of emergency preparedness and response, emphasized the urgency of the situation. “
The situation is deteriorating at an alarming rate.
Families have lost everything, and many are already being pushed to the brink. Without immediate emergency food support, conditions will worsen quickly, “Smith.
The WFP, the largest humanitarian agency operating in Somalia, has been compelled to reduce the number of people receiving emergency food assistance from 2.
2 million in early 2025 to approximately 600,000. This reduction means the agency can now support only one in every seven people in need of food assistance.
Nutrition programs have also been drastically cut, from assisting nearly 400,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children in October 2024 to just 90,000 in December. “.
This warning comes on the heels of another issued last month by Doctors Without Borders, which reported a concerning trend of increasing numbers of children suffering from preventable diseases, “Smith added.
The potential halt in emergency food aid comes at a time when the humanitarian, security, and economic consequences of such a decision could be devastating, with effects felt far beyond Somalia’s borders. Further details are expected as the situation develops.
