Joint News Release – OCHA/FAO/WFP/UNICEF: UN agencies warn of worsening hunger and malnutrition crisis in Somalia as famine risk emerges

Country: Somalia Sources: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, UN Children's Fund, UNDP/OCHA Connecting Business initiative, World Food Programme Among those projected to be acutely food insecure, close to 1.9 million are facing Emergency (IPC Phase 4), a number that has tripled in less than a year, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis report. Meanwhile, populations in agropastoral livelihoods in Burhakaba district of Bay region in southwest Somalia face the risk of famine if a worst-case scenario develops where the current April to June Gu season rains fail, food prices continue to rise sharply, and humanitarian assistance is not scaled up to reach the most vulnerable populations through June 2026. Nearly 40 per cent of children under five in this area are already acutely malnourished. This marks the first risk of famine analysis since the 2022 crisis, when famine was averted through massively scaled up and sustained humanitarian interventions in the aftermath of the longest drought on record. The current worsening crisis is driven by multiple shocks, including severe drought, insecurity, extremely limited humanitarian assistance, and the ripple effects of conflict in the Middle East, and increased risk of flooding in riverine and low-lying areas. Food prices – linked to fuel price increases and maritime supply chain disruptions – have risen by up to 20 per cent, weakening household purchasing power and pushing families closer to the brink. The compounding shocks have been exacerbated by a major reduction in services and humanitarian assistance due to severe funding constraints. More than 500 health and nutrition facilities have been closed across the country due to lack of funding, with disease outbreaks not being controlled and mortalit...

Original source: Relief Web