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SOMALIA

Key Facts

6.9 Million people are in need

4.4 Million face severe food insecurity

1.7 million children are acutely malnourished

Nearly 4 Million people have been displaced

Current Situation

Somalia is in the grip of a devastating crisis that’s stealing futures, displacing millions, and leaving families to fight daily for food, water, and safety. Drought has scorched the land. Conflict has fractured communities. Hunger and fear define everyday life. As of early 2025, 4.4 million Somalis are struggling with extreme hunger, and 1.7 million children are expected to be acutely malnourished. Nearly 4 million people have been forced to flee their homes—many with nowhere safe to go.

Underlying Causes

Relentless Climate Disasters

Droughts have crushed Somalia’s ability to grow food or sustain livestock. Rainfall has failed season after season, killing animals and drying up crops, forcing families to leave behind the only life they’ve ever known

Endless Conflict

Armed conflict continues to tear through the country. Al-Shabaab attacks make entire regions dangerous. Civilians suffer the most—killed, injured, or driven from their homes as violence claims roads, schools, and health centers.

Economic Ruin

Markets are broken. Livelihoods have vanished. As prices soar and jobs disappear, families are left unable to afford even basic necessities. Humanitarian aid has become the only lifeline for many.

Humanitarian Challenges

Hunger and Child Malnutrition

Over 1.1 million people are on the brink of famine. Food isn’t just expensive—it’s nearly gone. Families are surviving on flour and dirty water. The markets are empty, and aid convoys are constantly delayed or blocked.

Mass Displacement

Conflict, drought, and flooding have pushed 4 million people from their homes. Camps are overcrowded, resources are stretched thin, and many have lost everything—land, livestock, community.

Healthcare Collapse

In displacement camps and rural towns, treatable illnesses like cholera, measles, and respiratory infections claim lives due to lack of clean water, sanitation, and medicine. Clinics are overwhelmed or non-existent.

Violence Against Women and Girls

Insecurity has created a shadow pandemic of gender-based violence. Women and girls face daily threats—assault, exploitation, forced marriage—with little recourse for justice or support.

Lost Generations Without Education

Over 3 million children are out of school. Desks sit empty in classrooms burned or repurposed for shelter. Teachers are unpaid. Children are sent to work or simply too hungry to learn.

Child Recruitment and Exploitation

Armed groups prey on children—offering false promises or using coercion to recruit them into conflict. These children are robbed of safety, childhood, and their futures.

Blocked Lifelines

Humanitarian agencies are running into walls—threats, underfunding, and access denial. Aid convoys are delayed. Workers are attacked. Lives that could be saved are lost because help can’t get through.

Silencing the Truth

Journalists trying to report from Somalia face threats, detention, and violence. Without them, the suffering is hidden. Without truth, accountability disappears.

Further Resources

Stay Informed and Updated

United Nations OCHA – Somalia

ACAPS – Somalia Crisis

Amnesty International – Somalia

European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)

International Rescue Committee (IRC) – Somalia
ReliefWeb – Somalia Reports and Updates

World Food Programme (WFP) – Somalia

Work Cited

  1. ACAPS. (2025). Somalia Overview. Retrieved from
  2. Amnesty International. (2023). Human Rights in Somalia. Retrieved from
  3. European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations. (2024). Somalia. Retrieved from
  4. Reuters. (2025). Extra 1 million people could be engulfed in Somalia hunger crisis, WFP says. Retrieved from
  5. World Health Organization. (2022). Somalia Crisis. Retrieved from
  6. Associated Press News. (2025). US aid freeze paralyzes NGOs working to help millions of internally displaced people in Somalia. Retrieved from