The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has issued an urgent appeal for international assistance for Somalia, warning that 1.5 million people require food aid and more than 570,000 need emergency water support amid a severe and worsening drought crisis. The appeal, contained in OCHA's latest humanitarian report released on Sunday, 13 July, describes a compounding catastrophe driven by drought, flooding, shrinking aid budgets, and protracted armed conflict.

Scale of the Crisis

According to OCHA, severe drought conditions have directly affected roughly 250,000 people, with coastal and remote communities bearing the heaviest burden. The cumulative effect of overlapping crises has, the agency said, 'systematically undermined the resilience of millions of Somali households.' Northern regions of the country are reported to be among the hardest hit.

Malnutrition figures are particularly alarming. OCHA estimates that over 400,730 children are experiencing acute malnutrition — of whom 97,150 are classified as severe cases and 303,580 as moderate. The World Food Programme (WFP) separately reported that 1.9 million children across Somalia are suffering from acute malnutrition, placing the country among the world's worst malnutrition emergencies.

Emergency Hunger Levels Double

Last month, the WFP warned that emergency-level hunger — classified as IPC Phase 4 — now affects two million people, a twofold increase from the previous year's figure. This sharp deterioration signals a significant deepening of food insecurity across the country.

Critically, current humanitarian food assistance reaches only 450,000 people, leaving an estimated 76 per cent of those in IPC Phase 4 without any support through August. 'This gap will have severe consequences for the most vulnerable populations. Urgent funding is needed to scale up assistance and prevent further deterioration,' OCHA warned.

Funding Response and Gaps

The Somalia Humanitarian Fund has moved to bolster support in the famine-risk Buurhakaba district in the Bay region, channelling $4.7 million — including a recent reserve allocation of $2 million. While this represents a targeted response to one of the most at-risk areas, aid organisations have stressed that it falls far short of what is needed nationally.

Reproductive health services and emergency obstetric care remain severely limited, particularly for nomadic communities, according to OCHA. The drought has also disrupted education, with more than 820 schools reportedly closed.

Broader Context and What Comes Next

Somalia has faced recurring cycles of drought and famine for decades, with the 2011 famine claiming an estimated 260,000 lives. This latest crisis comes amid declining global humanitarian funding, as donor fatigue and competing crises divert resources. The twofold spike in IPC Phase 4 populations within a single year marks one of the most rapid deteriorations in recent memory.

Aid agencies are calling on international donors to urgently bridge the funding gap before conditions deteriorate further into the lean season. Without a significant scale-up in assistance, humanitarian organisations warn that famine conditions could emerge in the most affected districts.