Somalia's drought leaves 6.5 million on brink of hunger crisis, says ICRC

Somalia is teetering on the brink of a worsening humanitarian emergency, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which warns that 6.5 million people are facing acute hunger as prolonged drought devastates livelihoods.

Across drought-stricken regions, livestock deaths are stripping families of both food and income. Abdulkadir Mohamed Farah, a herder in Galmudug, says he has lost 90% of his goats and two-thirds of his camels in less than a year.

“We are facing a lack of rain. The livestock, both camels and goats, have been lost. Now we fear that people may follow,” he said. “I had 500 goats, only 50 remain. I had 70 camels, 20 are left.”

Two consecutive failed rainy seasons have heightened fears of a repeat of the catastrophic hunger crisis of 2022. As animals die and wells run dry, thousands of families are abandoning rural areas and moving to displacement camps or larger towns in search of water and assistance.

Mohamed Sheikh, an ICRC officer in Galmudug, says the crisis is being driven by a combination of drought and conflict. “The fighting has caused displacement. The drought is also causing displacement. The needs are increasing, and the situation will become desperate if the rains don’t come soon,” he warned.

Aid cuts are compounding the crisis, forcing programs to close and reducing food, water, health and livelihood support at a time of rising need. Without urgent rainfall and increased funding, the ICRC cautions that millions could slip into emergency levels of hunger.