Somalia: 4.4 Million People at Risk of Hunger by April 2025 Amid Drought and Conflict
The Somali government and UN aid agencies warned on Wednesday that 4.4 million people—nearly a quarter of the population—could face hunger by April 2025 due to worsening drought, ongoing conflict, and rising food prices.
The Somali Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) and multiple UN agencies stressed the urgent need for intervention, warning that compounding crises, including funding shortages, are exacerbating Somalia’s humanitarian crisis.
The joint statement, issued by SoDMA, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UNICEF, and the World Food Programme (WFP), highlighted that below-average rains are expected between April and June 2025, further worsening food insecurity.
The statement also noted that Somalia’s Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan for 2025 requires $1.42 billion, yet only 12.4% of the funding has been secured, forcing aid agencies to reduce or halt life-saving programs.
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, 3.4 million Somalis are already facing crisis-level or worse hunger. Somalia remains on the brink of a catastrophe reminiscent of the 2022 famine, which, according to UN data, killed thousands, nearly half of whom were children.
