Millions of Somalis are at risk of slipping deeper into hunger as the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns that a severe funding shortfall has forced it to drastically scale back emergency food assistance across the country.
In a statement on Friday, WFP said it would be able to support only 350,000 people with lifesaving rations in November, down from 1.1 million in August, a reduction of more than two-thirds.
The agency stressed this means fewer than one in ten of those in desperate need of food will receive aid.
“We are seeing a dangerous rise in emergency levels of hunger, and our ability to respond is shrinking by the day,” said Ross Smith, WFP’s director of emergency preparedness and response.
“Without urgent funding, families already pushed to the edge will be left with nothing at a time when they need it most.”
The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report paints a grim picture: 4.4 million people – more than a quarter of Somalia’s population – are facing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse. Nearly one million are now at emergency levels (IPC 4), a figure that has surged by 50% in just six months.
Malnutrition is also spiralling. At least 1.8 million children under five are acutely malnourished, with 421,000 suffering from severe malnutrition.
WFP said cuts to its nutrition programmes mean only 180,000 children are currently receiving treatment.
The crisis is unfolding in a fragile context shaped by years of drought, recurring conflict and declining humanitarian support. Aid workers warn that even small shocks – such as delayed rains or a rise in food prices – could tip families into catastrophic conditions.
WFP, which leads 90% of Somalia’s food security response, said it urgently needs US$98m to maintain the most basic level of operations for 800,000 people through the lean season until March 2026. Without fresh funding, more reductions are inevitable.
“The current level of response is far below what is required to meet the growing needs,” Smith warned.
Somalia’s latest hunger emergency comes just months after humanitarian agencies issued similar alerts across the Horn of Africa, where climate shocks and conflicts have left millions at risk of starvation.
Aid workers fear that international attention – and funding – is waning just as the crisis deepens.