At Least 120,000 Displaced as Drought Deepens Across Somalia, UN Warns

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: At least 120,000 people have been displaced across Somalia in recent months as a worsening drought tightens its grip on large parts of the country, according to the latest assessment by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

In its 2025 Drought Emergency Situation Report No. 2, released on December 21, OCHA says prolonged dry conditions between September and December have forced families to abandon their homes in search of water, pasture, and basic services, adding to an already fragile humanitarian situation.

The report estimates that 4.61 million people, nearly a quarter of Somalia’s population, have been affected nationwide by the drought. The hardest-hit regions include parts of Galgaduud, Mudug, Bari, and Nugaal, where water shortages, livestock losses, and rising food prices are eroding livelihoods.

OCHA notes that at least 170 boreholes and shallow wells have become non-functional, including 71 in Galgaduud and Mudug and 66 in Bari and Nugaal, severely limiting access to safe water for communities and pastoralists. The situation has been exacerbated by the poor performance of both the April–June (Gu) and October–December (Deyr) rainy seasons.

The drought is also taking a heavy toll on education. More than 75,000 students have been forced to drop out of school across the country as families migrate or struggle to meet basic needs.

Despite the scale of the crisis, humanitarian funding remains critically low. As Somalia approaches the end of 2025, the country’s humanitarian response plan required $1.4 billion, but only about $370 million has been received so far, leaving a significant gap in life-saving assistance.

OCHA says the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated $10 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support early drought response, targeting over 603,000 people, but warns that far more resources are needed to prevent further displacement and deterioration of conditions.

Humanitarian agencies caution that without urgent additional funding and sustained rainfall, displacement is likely to increase, deepening food insecurity and placing further strain on already vulnerable communities across Somalia.