Post by : Shakul

Somalia is once again facing a devastating humanitarian crisis as severe drought conditions continue to spread across the country. Millions of people are struggling with extreme hunger, lack of water, rising food prices, and growing disease outbreaks. Humanitarian agencies warn that this drought could become one of the worst disasters in Somalia’s modern history as international aid support continues to decline sharply.

In Puntland and several other regions of Somalia, families who depend on livestock and farming have lost nearly everything. Seventy-year-old Abdi Ahmed Farah said most of his goats have died after three years of failed rainfall. The family now survives on only one small meal a day made of rice, sugar, and oil. His newborn child is suffering because the mother has little milk due to severe malnutrition and lack of food.

Experts say Somalia is experiencing repeated climate shocks that are becoming more dangerous each year. Rivers have dried up, crops have failed, and food production has fallen to record lows. According to United Nations agencies, production of important crops like maize and sorghum during the last rainy season was the lowest ever recorded in Somalia. This has increased the risk of widespread famine across the country.

The humanitarian crisis has become worse because of massive international aid cuts. Relief organizations say Somalia received far less financial support in 2025 compared to previous drought emergencies. The reduction in aid has affected food distribution, water supply programs, and emergency medical treatment. Agencies also say the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and rising global fuel prices have increased the cost of imported food and transportation inside Somalia.

The United Nations estimates that around 6.5 million people in Somalia are now facing severe hunger conditions. Aid agencies fear that nearly half a million children could suffer from severe acute malnutrition, one of the deadliest forms of hunger affecting children. Hospitals and treatment centers are already struggling with shortages of therapeutic food, milk supplies, and medicines needed to save young patients.

Many families have been forced to abandon their villages and move toward cities or displacement camps in search of food and water. The United Nations says more than 200,000 people have been displaced this year alone because of drought. In some villages, desperate residents have started drinking dirty rainwater collected from temporary puddles, causing outbreaks of fever, diarrhea, and other diseases among children and elderly people.

Community leaders say the local economy in many rural areas has completely collapsed because livestock farmers can no longer sell their weak and starving animals. Food prices have also increased sharply. In some regions, the cost of flour and drinking water has doubled or even quadrupled in recent months, making survival extremely difficult for poor families.

Humanitarian workers warn that without urgent international assistance, the situation could become catastrophic. Aid groups say the response this year is far smaller compared to previous drought crises even though the current emergency may be more severe. Relief agencies continue to call for immediate global support to prevent further deaths from hunger, dehydration, and disease.

Medical centers treating malnourished children are already overwhelmed. Doctors and nurses say more severely weak children are arriving every week. Many displaced families now live in temporary shelters with limited food, unsafe drinking water, and almost no healthcare support.

Somalia has suffered from decades of conflict, poverty, and climate disasters, but humanitarian experts warn that the current drought could leave long-lasting damage on communities already struggling to survive.

#world news #Global News #Africa News