Over 70 NGOs warn Somalia’s hunger crisis is worsening in open letter

Dozens of humanitarian organizations working in Somalia have warned that millions of people are facing a worsening hunger crisis and urged international donors to urgently increase funding to prevent large-scale loss of life.

In an open letter to donors, NGOs said Somalia is approaching a critical moment as food insecurity and malnutrition escalate across the country. “We, the undersigned NGOs working across Somalia, raise the alarm for millions of Somalis facing an imminent life-threatening hunger. Lives are hanging in the balance,” the organizations said. “Immediate and decisive action is required to prevent large-scale loss of life.”

The most recent assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) indicates that around 6.5 million people in Somalia are projected to experience severe acute food insecurity between February and March, almost twice the number recorded at crisis levels in August 2025. The report further cautions that approximately 1.85 million children under the age of five may suffer from acute malnutrition, including about 483,000 cases of severe acute malnutrition that will require immediate treatment.

The NGOs stressed that the crisis is already visible in communities across the country. “These are not abstract statistics. They represent children too weak to cry, mothers skipping meals for days so their children might survive, and families uprooted by drought, floods and conflicts they did not create but bear brunt of,” the letter said.

The organizations said women and girls are particularly vulnerable as displacement and long journeys to fetch water and firewood increase exposure to gender-based violence. They also warned that the humanitarian response is being constrained by funding cuts from traditional donors. “Today, Somalia faces significant funding cuts from traditional donors, severely constraining the humanitarian response and pushing the country closer to catastrophe,” the NGOs wrote.

The groups noted that humanitarian agencies still operating in Somalia have the capacity and access to deliver assistance but lack the resources needed to scale up aid. “We have still access, community trust and technical capacity to deliver life-saving assistance that include nutrition services, water, sanitation, health care, and protection support on a scale. What we lack are urgent and sufficient resources that enable durable solutions to be achieved in Somalia,” the letter said.

The NGOs called on major donors — including the United States government, the European Commission, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Norway and the World Bank — to increase contributions to Somalia’s 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan. The plan seeks $852 million to reach 4.8 million people in urgent need of assistance but remains significantly underfunded.

The open letter comes as Somalia grapples with a worsening drought that has affected millions of people. Repeated climate shocks have devastated livelihoods, particularly for pastoralist and farming communities that rely on rainfall for crops and livestock. With water sources drying up and harvests failing in several regions, many families have been forced to abandon their homes in search of food, water and assistance, pushing the country further into a severe food and water crisis.

The humanitarian appeal by the NGOs also coincides with mounting concern over declining international aid. Although the letter is addressed broadly to institutional and bilateral donors, it comes at a time when some of Somalia’s traditional funding partners have been scaling back support. The United States, historically one of the largest humanitarian donors to Somalia, has significantly reduced funding.

Aid agencies warn that these funding cuts could undermine efforts to respond quickly to the worsening food crisis. In previous emergencies, large-scale donor contributions enabled humanitarian actors to scale up assistance rapidly, helping prevent famine conditions. With resources now shrinking, however, humanitarian organizations say their ability to expand lifesaving operations, including nutrition treatment, water supply and health services, has been severely constrained.

The unfolding humanitarian emergency is also taking place against a backdrop of political uncertainty and security challenges. Somalia is facing a constitutional deadlock over key governance issues, which has slowed political progress and complicated national decision-making. The prolonged political disputes risk diverting attention from urgent humanitarian priorities while also complicating coordination between federal and regional authorities.

At the same time, security concerns remain acute across several parts of the country. The militant group Al-Shabaab maintain influence in rural areas, while Islamic State-linked militants have stepped up activity in Puntland. These security pressures, combined with political tensions and worsening drought conditions, have created a complex crisis that humanitarian organizations say requires urgent international support.