MOGADISHU — Somalia is facing a rapidly escalating humanitarian disaster following four consecutive failed rainy seasons, prompting the Federal Government to formally declare a drought emergency on November 10.
United Nations humanitarians warned on Wednesday that vast swaths of the country are now parched, leaving millions at risk of severe hunger and displacement. The crisis is compounded by a critical funding shortfall that has forced aid agencies to drastically cut support just as conditions deteriorate across northern, central, and southern regions.
While the drought is widespread, the semi-autonomous state of Puntland has emerged as one of the worst-affected areas. Authorities there estimate a staggering toll on the local population:
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1 million people are currently in need of support.
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130,000 people are facing immediate, life-threatening needs.
A recent UN assessment mission to the Bari and Nugaal regions revealed communities grappling with acute shortages of food and water. Across the region, water points have dried up, vegetation has withered, and pastoral settlements that were once bustling now stand abandoned.
Voices from the Parched Earth
In the village of Shaxda in the Bari region, the social fabric is beginning to tear under the strain of the climate shock.
“We have not received rain since last year; this is the worst drought in years. Hundreds of displaced families moved here three months ago, and more are coming. The new arrivals are mostly women and children, as the men have moved to nearby Ethiopia in search of pasture and water.”
— Abdiqani Osman Omar, Mayor of Shaxda Village
Mayor Omar noted that the village has no capacity to support the influx of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), as the host communities themselves are in desperate need of assistance.
In Dhaxan town, brief showers during the Gu’ season (April-June) offered a mirage of hope that quickly vanished. Residents are now dependent on expensive trucked water after the local borehole was found to be contaminated.
Jama Abshir Hersi, a community leader in Dhaxan, explained that 150 families sought refuge in the town recently, only to find the safety net gone. “We used to receive food and nutrition assistance, and medical supplies for our health unit. All that assistance has dwindled,” he said.
The humanitarian response is being hamstrung by a severe lack of financial resources. As of November 23, Somalia’s 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan was only 23.7% funded.
The consequences of this shortfall are immediate and severe:
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Aid Reduction: The number of people receiving emergency food aid plummeted from 1.1 million in August to just 350,000 this month.
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Facility Closures: In Puntland alone, 89 supplementary feeding sites and 198 health and stabilization centers are facing severe supply shortages.
The intersection of climate shock and funding gaps paints a dire picture for the coming months.
- Food Insecurity: At least 4.4 million people are projected to face acute food insecurity through December.
- Child Malnutrition: 1.85 million children under the age of five are expected to suffer acute malnutrition through mid-2026.
Weather forecasts offer no immediate relief. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that dry and hot conditions are expected to persist, particularly in the central and northern regions, further exacerbating water stress and limiting the regeneration of pasture essential for livestock survival.
