Millions in Somalia at risk of worsening hunger as WFP faces critical funding shortfall

Oct 05, 2025

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Millions in Somalia at risk of worsening hunger as WFP faces critical funding shortfall

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warns today that millions in Somalia are at risk of worsening hunger and malnutrition as critical funding shortfalls have forced the agency to reduce the number of people it supports with lifesaving emergency food assistance in Somalia by over two-thirds.

In November, WFP will have to reduce the number of people who receive emergency food assistance to just 350,000 people, down from 1.1 million in August. This means that WFP will be supporting less than 1 in every 10 people who are in need of food assistance for survival.

“We are seeing a dangerous rise in emergency levels of hunger, and our ability to respond is shrinking by the day,” said Ross Smith, WFP’s Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response. “Without urgent funding, families already pushed to the edge will be left with nothing at a time when they need it most.”

The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report shows that 4.4 million people in Somalia are facing crisis level of food insecurity or worse (IPC 3+), including nearly 1 million in emergency levels of hunger (IPC 4), a number that has increased by 50 percent in just six months.