IRC warns Somalia is on the brink of catastrophe as new IPC projections signal renewed famine risk | The IRC

Country: Somalia Source: International Rescue Committee The price of essential household commodities has continued to rise, placing additional pressure on families already struggling with drought and hunger. Sugar prices have increased by 13.3%, rice by 9.6%, flour by 16%, cooking oil by 21.4%, and milk by 42. Fertilizer prices have surged dramatically amid regional instability and supply chain disruptions linked to the Strait of Hormuz crisis, threatening agricultural production at a critical moment for Somalia’s farming communities. Urea prices have risen fro Mogadishu, Somalia, May 15, 2026 — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is warning that Somalia is once again approaching catastrophic levels of hunger following alarming new IPC and FEWS NET projections showing a credible risk of famine in Bay and Bakool regions if the current Gu rains continue to underperform. The warning comes as humanitarian agencies report rising levels of acute malnutrition in clinics across Somalia amid collapsing aid funding, rising food prices, delayed rainfall, worsening crop and livestock conditions, and intensifying climate shocks across the Horn of Africa. The IRC warned that the international community cannot afford a repeat of the catastrophic 2020 to 2023 hunger crisis, when Somalia came dangerously close to famine and tens of thousands of people died due to drought, hunger, displacement, and delayed humanitarian action. Richard Crothers, IRC Somalia Country Director, said: “Somalia is once again standing at the edge of catastrophe. Communities are already telling us that rains have started late, many areas remain dry, crops are struggling, livestock conditions are deteriorating, and malnutrition is increasing in our clinics. People are anxiously waiting to see whether the rains will come, because the sta...

Original source: Relief Web