UN agencies warn of worsening hunger and famine risk in Somalia

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned on 15 May 2026 of a rapidly intensifying hunger emergency in Somalia. Between April and June 2026, 6 million people – 31 percent of the population – are being pushed into critical levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above), according to a joint press release. The crisis includes one of the worst malnutrition emergencies in the world, affecting approximately 1.9 million children, of whom 493,000 face severe acute malnutrition. These children are 12 times more likely to die than well-nourished peers. The agencies confirmed the first famine risk since the 2022 crisis.

Close to 1.9 million people are facing Emergency (IPC Phase 4), a figure that has tripled in less than a year, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis report. Agropastoral communities in Burhakaba district of Bay region in southwest Somalia face famine risk if the April to June Gu season rains fail, food prices keep rising sharply, and humanitarian assistance is not scaled up through June 2026. Nearly 40 percent of children under five in that area are already acutely malnourished. The 2022 famine was averted through massively scaled up and sustained humanitarian interventions after the longest drought on record. The current deterioration follows compounding shocks.

The crisis is driven by severe drought, insecurity, extremely limited humanitarian assistance, ripple effects of conflict in the Middle East, and an increased risk of flooding in riverine and low-lying areas. Food prices, linked to fuel price increases and maritime supply chain disruptions, have risen by up to 20 percent. More than 500 health and nutrition facilities have been closed across the country due to lack of funding. Measles cases across Somalia doubled between January and March 2026 compared with the first quarter of 2025. The 2026 Somalia Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is only 15.2 percent funded.

“The IPC analysis paints a stark and urgent picture, with rising numbers of malnourished children and confirmed famine risk in Burhakaba district. Without immediate and sustained support from donors, the diaspora and the private sector, we risk a preventable catastrophe unfolding before our eyes. We must act now, at scale and without delay, to save lives and prevent the worst from happening,” said George Conway, Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.

FAO Somalia Representative Etienne Peterschmitt said the country is “at a tipping point.” UNICEF Somalia Representative Sandra Lattouf and WFP Country Director Hameed Nuru echoed the call for urgent action.

Humanitarian assistance is being scaled up in the most at-risk areas, including Burhakaba, but coverage remains limited, with nearly 90 percent of people receiving little or no support. Emerging El Niño forecasts signal increased flooding risk later in the year, with some areas along the Shabelle River already showing above-average flows. Projections suggest acute food insecurity and malnutrition will remain high through late 2026. The four agencies are calling for an urgent scale-up of lifesaving multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance covering food security, nutrition, health, and WASH. Sustained and predictable funding remains critical to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.