Less than a third of people needing food assistance in Somalia received support in October with worsening conditions prompting the country to declare the first national drought emergency in nearly three years.
MOGADISHU, 19 November 2025 – Less than a third of people needing food assistance in Somalia received support in October with worsening conditions prompting the country to declare the first national drought emergency in nearly three years and Save the Children warning of a preventable slow-motion catastrophe.
The latest figures from FEWSNET – the leading global provider of early warning information and analysis of current and future acute food insecurity – showed that food insecurity in Somalia is set to increase in coming months, with up to 5.9 million people in need of food support by early 2026 compared to 4.4 million people at the end of 2025. [1]
In October 1.3 million people, including 800,000 children, received food support which was less than one in third of those in need after four failed rainy seasons.[2][3]
Amid this worsening situation, global acute malnutrition (GAM) rates amongst children in northern and central areas have increased to 11.8% for 2025, up from 8.6% a year ago, with life-threatening critical malnutrition levels (15-29.9% GAM) recorded in displacement settlements in Baidoa, Galkacyo, Dhusamareb, and Bosasso.[4]
The Government of Somalia last week declared a drought emergency – the first since the country was on the brink of famine in 2022 - with the crisis driven by consecutive below-average rainy seasons, high food prices, ongoing conflict, and a devastating 74% reduction in humanitarian funding [5] that has left critical gaps in life-saving support.
Fadumo*, a 30-year-old mother of nine, has watched her youngest child, 13-month-old Mohamed*, battle severe acute malnutrition. Like many pastoral families, they have lost most of their livestock to consecutive droughts and now survive on just two meals a day.
“Drought affected both humans and animals. Goats die during drought. A typical day when you look after the animals some may die on their way back home,” Fadumo said. “We only eat breakfast and supper. There is no lunch. In the afternoon, when they return from school, they eat the little food I cook for them. I cook either rice or sourdough pancakes, and onions.”
Despite receiving treatment at a Save the Children-supported health centre, her concerns reflect those of millions across Somalia: “I am worried about the sick child. I have been through worries and sorrow, and I have gone everywhere seeking his medication.”
Save the Children's Acting Country Director in Somalia, Binyam Gebru, said:
“The crisis unfolding in Somalia represents a betrayal of the world's most vulnerable children and families. After enduring years of drought that pushed them to the brink of famine (in 2022), Somali families are being abandoned just when they need support most. Three consecutive seasons of poor rains have devastated pastoral and farming communities, killing livestock and destroying harvests. Now, as families face another drought and La Niña threatens to make it worse, international funding has been slashed by 74%.
“We are witnessing a preventable catastrophe in slow motion. With up to 6 million people needing urgent assistance but only a fraction receiving help, we are racing against time. The international community must act now, or we will witness another preventable tragedy unfold before our eyes."
Jama Mohamed, Programme Manager for Child Survival in Puntland, said:
"The situation is dire, with health facilities lacking support and experiencing service disruptions. Nevertheless, the stories of frontline health workers here are inspiring and provide a compelling case for advocacy and fundraising to offer lifesaving services to vulnerable women and children. Let us keep hope alive for children affected by aid cuts."
Save the Children is calling on the international community to urgently increase humanitarian funding to meet the needs of up to 6 million people requiring assistance, prioritise support for nutrition and health programs to prevent child deaths, invest in longer-term resilience programming, and ensure aid reaches the most vulnerable populations.
Save the Children has been working in Somalia since 1951, delivering life-saving health, nutrition, education and protection services. In 2024, Save the Children reached 3.2 million people, including 1.9 million children across 17 regions in the country.
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
Names marked with asterisks (*) have been changed to protect identities
[1] Somalia Food Security Outlook October 2025 - May 2026: Below-average deyr rains to drive Emergency amid humanitarian funding cuts. Famine Early Warning Systems Network. Available at: https://fews.net/east-africa/somalia/food-security-outlook/october-2025
[2] Source as above
[3] UNICEF Somalia Humanitarian Situation Report No. 6 - Mid Year 2025 notes that 3.71m children (62%) are among the 5.98m people in Somalia in need of humanitarian support as per the 2025 Somalia Humanitarian Needs and Response which was used to estimate the number of children among those who received food support. Available at: https://reliefweb.int/attachments/61cced04-7151-4a21-8213-b5f58b9b808c/UNICEF%20Somalia%20Humanitarian%20Situation%20Report%20No.%206%20-%20Mid%20Year%202025.pdf
[4] Somalia Food Security Outlook October 2025 - May 2026: Below-average deyr rains to drive Emergency amid humanitarian funding cuts. Famine Early Warning Systems Network. Available at: https://fews.net/east-africa/somalia/food-security-outlook/october-2025
[5] https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/somalia/somalia-cost-inaction-july-2025
For more information
Daphnee Cook, Head of News
daphnee.cook@savethechildren.orgOut of hours (BST) contact
media@savethechildren.org.uk
