The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has issued a stark warning over Somalia’s worsening food crisis, with 4.4 million people at crisis-level or worse food insecurity. WFP Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, Ross Smith, described the situation as “extremely worrying,” highlighting that life-saving assistance is at risk of coming to a halt without urgent funding.
Smith stated that the WFP had already been forced to cut food and nutrition support by more than half in 2025 due to financial constraints, reducing aid recipients from 2.2 million to just over 600,000. The agency now urgently requires $95 million to sustain operations from March through August.
The humanitarian emergency follows a national drought declaration in Somalia, caused by failed rainy seasons, crop and livestock losses, and widespread displacement. WFP cautioned that without immediate intervention, conditions could deteriorate rapidly, particularly for women and children, echoing the narrowly averted famine of 2022.
The UN agency called on the international community to replenish resources swiftly, stressing that a failure to act could leave millions without essential food and nutrition support by April.
