An additional one million people in Somalia could face severe hunger in the coming months due to a projected drought in the next crop cycle, the World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday.
The crisis could deepen further as funding shortfalls strain humanitarian aid efforts, said Jean-Martin Bauer, director of WFP’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Service.
In 2022, the Horn of Africa endured its worst drought in over 40 years following successive failed rainy seasons, resulting in an estimated 43,000 deaths, according to a study.
“Around 3.4 million people in Somalia are currently experiencing acute food insecurity, and that number is expected to rise to 4.4 million in the coming months,” Bauer said, referencing the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system, which categorizes hunger levels from crisis (phase three) to famine (phase five).
Somalia faces the risk of worsening drought, with below-average rainfall expected from April to June after two consecutive failed rainy seasons, Bauer added.
Children are particularly vulnerable, with WFP projections indicating that 1.7 million children under five could suffer from acute malnutrition by December 2025. Of those, 466,000 are at risk of severe acute malnutrition, the agency said.
WFP has already been forced to scale back aid, currently assisting 820,000 people—down from 2.2 million at the peak of the 2022 crisis.
Bauer also noted that potential U.S. aid cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration had not yet been factored into the projections.
“The situation could deteriorate further due to a combination of factors: worsening weather conditions, funding shortages, persistently high food prices, and ongoing conflict,” he warned.