WFP Seeks $95 Million As Somalia Food Aid Nears Collapse

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: The World Food Programme is urgently seeking $95 million to sustain life-saving food and nutrition operations in Somalia through August 2026, warning that without immediate funding its assistance could halt by April.

In a statement issued in Mogadishu, WFP said its financial pipeline is expected to run dry within weeks, placing millions of vulnerable people at risk. The appeal comes as Somalia faces a worsening drought emergency marked by severe water shortages, crop failures, livestock losses and widespread displacement.

An estimated 4.4 million people, about a quarter of the population, are facing crisis levels of hunger or worse following two consecutive failed rainy seasons, ongoing conflict and a steep decline in humanitarian funding. Nearly one million women, men and children are experiencing severe food insecurity.

“The situation is deteriorating at an alarming rate,” said Ross Smith, WFP’s Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response. He warned that without urgent intervention, the agency may not be able to reach the most vulnerable in time, most of them women and children.

Funding gaps have already forced major cutbacks. WFP has reduced the number of people receiving emergency food assistance from 2.2 million in early 2025 to just over 600,000. Nutrition programmes have also been slashed, with support for pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children dropping from nearly 400,000 beneficiaries in October to about 90,000 in December.

The warning echoes the 2022 drought crisis, when large-scale international support helped prevent famine. WFP says it has the teams and operational capacity on the ground to scale up again, but without immediate donor commitments, Somalia risks sliding deeper into hunger with potentially severe humanitarian and security consequences.