On Thursday, Southern Somalia faces a renewed risk of famine for the first time since 2022, according to food security monitors and United Nations-backed analysts. Reuters reported that the warning centers on Burhakaba District in the Bay Region, where acute malnutrition among children has reached emergency levels after poor rainfall, rising food prices, and reduced humanitarian aid.
The U.N.-supported Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said more than 37% of young children in Burhakaba are suffering from acute malnutrition. The district, home to an estimated 200,000 people, has entered one of the most severe hunger classifications recorded in Somalia since the country narrowly avoided famine in 2022, according to Reuters.
“The IPC analysis found Burhakaba District to be at risk of Famine under a plausible worst-case scenario of failing Gu rains, soaring food prices and below expected delivery of humanitarian food security assistance,” the IPC report stated, according to Reuters.
The U.S.-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network, known as FEWS NET, also warned that conditions could deteriorate rapidly if seasonal harvests fail. Hannah Button, a spokesperson for FEWS NET, said poor rainfall across southern Somalia could trigger a wider crisis in agro-pastoral communities.
“If the harvest fails, Famine could rapidly emerge in these areas,” Button said, referring to the Bay, Bakool, and Gedo regions, according to Reuters.
Somalia remains one of the world’s most food-insecure countries due to recurring droughts, armed conflict, and widespread poverty. Reuters reported that approximately 6 million Somalis are currently facing crisis levels of food insecurity or worse, exceeding earlier forecasts after rainfall during the Gu season fell below expectations.
Aid agencies say international funding reductions have weakened the humanitarian response at a critical moment. According to U.N. data cited by Reuters, humanitarian funding for Somalia has fallen sharply to $160 million in 2026 from $531 million in 2025. During the severe drought emergency in 2022, Somalia received approximately $2.38 billion in humanitarian support.
The IPC reported that humanitarian assistance during the April-to-June period increased compared to earlier months, but aid operations are still reaching only 12% of people facing severe hunger conditions. Reuters said reduced foreign assistance, particularly from the United States, has forced relief organizations to scale back food distribution and nutritional programs.
The United Nations World Food Programme warned on May 8 that it may suspend some humanitarian operations in Somalia by July unless additional financing is secured. Reuters reported that the agency has already reduced its planned outreach from 2 million people to about 500,000 because of funding shortages.
Matthew Hollingworth, the World Food Programme’s country director for Somalia, said the country is becoming one of the world’s most severe malnutrition hotspots. He said prolonged drought, insecurity, and disrupted aid deliveries are worsening conditions across southern and central Somalia, according to Reuters.
Aid organizations also warned that global instability is affecting supply chains into Somalia. Reuters reported that disruptions linked to the U.S.-Israeli conflict involving Iran have delayed shipments of therapeutic food supplies used to treat severely malnourished children. Some deliveries are reportedly arriving up to 40 days late.
Daud Jiran, Somalia country director for Mercy Corps, said shrinking humanitarian budgets are leaving vulnerable communities exposed to worsening hunger.
“Somalia risks becoming one of the first major crises of the ‘post-aid era’: a place where needs are growing, survival is becoming more expensive, and the response is shrinking,” Jiran told Reuters.
The growing crisis has wider implications across the Horn of Africa, where drought and conflict have already displaced millions of people. Reuters reported in April that global hunger levels are expected to remain critically high throughout 2026 because of conflict, climate shocks, and declining humanitarian aid budgets.
Somalia last experienced an officially declared famine in 2011, when around 250,000 people died, according to Reuters. The country came close to famine again in both 2017 and 2022, but large-scale international aid campaigns helped prevent catastrophic mortality levels. Famine classifications are based on strict thresholds, including extreme household food shortages, severe child malnutrition, and elevated daily death rates.
The current emergency follows multiple failed rainy seasons that destroyed crops and livestock across southern Somalia. According to Reuters and the Associated Press, drought conditions have also forced hundreds of thousands of people to leave rural communities in search of food and water.
Humanitarian agencies are expected to continue appealing for emergency funding over the coming weeks. The IPC and FEWS NET said they will closely monitor rainfall patterns and harvest outcomes during the current Gu season before issuing updated assessments. Reuters reported that aid groups are also seeking expanded food deliveries and nutritional support to prevent famine conditions from spreading beyond Burhakaba District.
