UN agency warns of worsening humanitarian crisis in Somalia amid severe drought

MOGADISHU, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- A United Nations agency on Wednesday warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Somalia, with nearly 6.5 million people facing high levels of hunger and more than 1.8 million children at risk of acute malnutrition due to severe drought. Read full story MOGADISHU, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- A United Nations agency on Wednesday warned of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Somalia, with nearly 6.5 million people facing high levels of hunger and more than 1.8 million children at risk of acute malnutrition due to severe drought. George Conway, deputy special representative for Somalia with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia, said the drought emergency in Somalia has worsened alarmingly, driving soaring water prices, dwindling food supplies, livestock deaths, and critical shortfalls in humanitarian funding. "Urgent life-saving assistance is essential to save lives and prevent a collapse of pastoral and farming livelihoods, as the coming months are critical with no rains expected at least until the next Gu rains in April-June," Conway said in a joint statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The warning follows the release of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report on Tuesday, which projects that a third of the population -- 6.5 million people -- will face crisis levels of hunger or worse by March, an increase of 1.7 million since January. The report also estimates that two million people are experiencing severe hunger, while over 1.8 million children under five will face acute malnutrition in 2026, nearly half a million of them likely to be severely malnourished. The drought has devastated agriculture, causing widespread crop and livestock losses and triggering large-scale displacement. Both Somalia and the UN cautioned that severe funding cuts have forced humanitarian partners to scale back or suspend essential programs, including food security, health, nutrition, and water and sanitation interventions. Mohamud Moallim Abdulle, commissioner of the Somalia Disaster Management Agency, said the severity of this drought is undeniable and deeply alarming. "We urgently call on international partners, the Somali diaspora, businesses, and civil society to scale up immediate support," he added. Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates! Report a mistake What is the issue about? Spelling and grammatical error Factually incorrect Story is irrelevant This field is mandatory. Please provide details of the report. Email (optional) Please enter valid email. Report issue Cancel Invalid captcha response. Please re-try again. Thank you for your report! Related News Nation 22 Feb 2026 Perak SMEs to get technology upgrade boost with govt investment Gadgets 18 Feb 2026 Meta plans to add facial recognition technology to its smart glasses Technology 18 Feb 2026 US Supreme Court adopts new technology to help identify conflicts of interest