Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
Nearly six million people in Somalia, about one in three, are facing acute hunger, with roughly two million experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity, according to World Food Programme (WFP) Assistant Executive Director Matthew Hollingworth following his visit to the country. Additionally, about 1.9 million children are acutely malnourished amid the crisis.
The worsening food crisis is driven by global economic shocks linked to instability near the Strait of Hormuz and the broader Middle East region. Food prices in some areas have surged by up to 70%, and fuel prices by 150%, raising transportation costs for aid and essential goods. Supply disruptions further complicate humanitarian operations as drought, conflict, and displacement continue to affect communities.
According to Hollingworth, Somalia has faced three consecutive failed rainy seasons, devastating crops and livestock, eroding livelihoods, and impacting millions. Many families have been forced to leave their homes in search of food and water. During his visit to Puntland, he met families who had lost animals, farms, and income, as well as mothers traveling hundreds of kilometers with malnourished children seeking treatment.
Despite some recent rainfall, communities have exhausted their coping capacity, and aid agencies face severe funding shortages. The WFP is able to reach only one in ten people in need, a significant drop from the previous year when more than two million people received assistance.