Drought, displacement and aid cuts deepen Somalia’s hunger crisis as doctors warn against waiting for famine declaration
By Bunmi Yekini
One in every two children screened in displacement sites in Baidoa, southwestern Somalia, is acutely malnourished, with one in four suffering from severe malnutrition, according to a survey by medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
The survey, conducted in July across 888 households in 14 displacement sites, found that one-third of families were surviving on one meal a day, while only 2% could afford three meals daily.
“What we are seeing is shocking and far beyond the threshold of an extremely critical emergency,” Allara Ali, MSF’s project coordinator in Somalia, said in a statement.
MSF said the findings were consistent with its regular screening in Baidoa, where its teams have screened more than 21,000 children under five since the beginning of the year and recorded global acute malnutrition levels of about 50%.
The medical charity said more than 21,000 children had been admitted to MSF-supported outpatient malnutrition facilities in Baidoa this year, more than double the number recorded during the same period in 2025.
A further 2,890 children have been admitted for inpatient treatment, a 78% increase from the same period last year, it said.
Somalia has been hit by consecutive failed rains and worsening drought, which have deprived families of food, water, crops and livestock. More than half a million people were displaced in the first three months of 2026, with drought accounting for most of the displacement, according to the United Nations.
Women and children make up about 85% of those displaced and are among those most affected by the worsening malnutrition crisis, MSF said.
The crisis is also increasing pressure on already fragile health services. MSF said it has treated around 2,500 measles cases in Baidoa since January, compared with about 1,700 cases during the whole of 2025.
More than 2,600 pregnant and breastfeeding women have also been admitted for malnutrition support in the past two months, the organisation said.
“When mothers are malnourished, the risks extend to their babies — before birth, during delivery and in the first months of life,” MSF said.
The medical organisation has expanded one of its facilities in response to rising admissions, increasing capacity from 50 to 150 beds. It has also distributed relief supplies and provided safe water to displaced communities in Baidoa and Mudug.
But MSF said medical treatment alone could not address the scale of the crisis.
“A hospital bed can save a child today. But it cannot protect that child if they return to a shelter with no food, no clean water and no basic services,” Ali said.
MSF called on donors, international organisations and Somali health authorities to urgently scale up treatment for severe acute malnutrition, expand hospital capacity, provide medical staff and ensure uninterrupted supplies of therapeutic food and medicines.
It also called for intensified vaccination campaigns, particularly in communities that are difficult to reach.
The crisis comes as international funding for Somalia’s humanitarian response declines. The country’s 2026 humanitarian response plan was reduced to $852 million and was less than one-third funded by July, according to the United Nations.
MSF said major donors, including the United States and Britain, had reduced or halted support, weakening already stretched health and nutrition services.
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, around 6 million people in Somalia, about one-third of the population, are facing food shortages, with nearly 1.9 million people in emergency conditions requiring urgent assistance.
“The world cannot wait for a famine declaration before acting,” Ali said. “Action is needed now to prevent loss of lives.”