Nearly a quarter of Somalia's population face acute hunger: WFP

Nearly a quarter of Somalia’s population is facing acute hunger, with 1.85 million children under five at risk of acute malnutrition, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Thursday.

The WFP said in a statement that the Horn of Africa nation’s climate outlook remains bleak, with La Nina and a negative Indian Ocean Dipole expected to prolong erratic rainfall and drought in the country.

The “conditions are expected to intensify drought in the north, hinder recovery efforts in the south, and heighten the risk of crop failure, livestock losses, and water scarcity,” the statement said.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) also said that the drought conditions have worsened in northern regions and are spreading to central and southern Somalia.

Fourth consecutive season of poor rains

It said the situation is particularly serious in Nugaal, Mudug, Bari, and Sanaag regions, which are experiencing the fourth consecutive season of poor rains. “Millions of people are at risk of worsening hunger and malnutrition due to funding shortfalls,” the UN office warned.

In November, the number of people receiving food assistance will reduce to 350,000, down from 1.1 million in August, according to OCHA.

The UN, citing authorities, said water prices have risen from $12 to $15 for a 200-litre barrel and are expected to climb further, putting additional pressure on the town’s nearly 35,000 displaced people in parts of Puntland state.

Somalia endured five consecutive seasons of failed rains in late 2020 and late 2022, the longest in recent decades, leading to a severe drought in 2023 that has left 5 million people in acute food insecurity.

The East African country witnessed one of the worst famines in 2011 that killed over 26,000 people, according to the UN.