December 14, 2025 – Mogadishu: The Somali NGO Consortium (SNC) has issued an urgent warning regarding deteriorating drought conditions, cautioning that an impending humanitarian disaster is emerging as reduced international funding occurs alongside mounting humanitarian requirements.

The Integrated Food Security Classification (IPC) reports indicate that the drought is pushing 3.4 million Somalis into severe acute food insecurity. During the October to December 2025 projection period, the food security outlook is anticipated to deteriorate further due to forecasted below-normal rainfall. Insufficient precipitation and elevated food costs are expected to leave 4.4 million individuals (23% of the population) at heightened risk of acute food insecurity.

Roughly 1.85 million children between the ages of 6 and 59 months are projected to experience acute malnutrition requiring immediate care from July 2025 through June 2026. This encompasses about 421,000 children facing Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and 1.43 million children experiencing Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM).

“We are observing a concerning intersection: the drought is intensifying precisely as reduced global humanitarian assistance generates a preventable yet critical emergency. The essential resources needed to preserve lives are diminishing while communities become increasingly vulnerable. Somalia cannot risk losing the significant progress achieved in recent years,” stated Ms. Nimo Hassan, Director of the Somali NGO Consortium.

Communities are facing severe and escalating challenges: depleting water resources, rapidly increasing food costs, accelerating livestock depletion, and extensive agricultural failure are forcing families to their breaking point.

“The drought has transformed from prediction to present reality. Communities have reached a critical threshold. With the drought’s escalation, the hardship affecting those we support intensifies accordingly. While DRC Somalia is implementing responses in multiple areas, our capacities, along with our partners’, remain critically inadequate. Swift, coordinated assistance is essential to avert a more profound humanitarian emergency in Somalia,” stated Filip Lozinski, Country Director of Danish Refugee Council (DRC) Somalia.

This crisis emerges as prominent international donors have declared substantial cuts to humanitarian aid. The operational repercussions are both immediate and grave, affecting more than 70% of nongovernmental organizations dependent on humanitarian support. Critical life-saving initiatives have been reduced or terminated, with multiple organizations compelled to reduce their workforce by as much as 65%, severely hampering their ability to deliver aid precisely as needs intensify.

“National organizations such as GREDO are on the front lines daily witnessing both the suffering and the remarkable resilience of Somali communities. We urgently appeal to donors, partners, and the global community to enhance life-saving interventions, invest in early recovery efforts, and enable local responders to accelerate their actions. The period for hesitation has concluded, and immediate action is required to prevent a complete humanitarian catastrophe,” stated Alinur Ali Aden, Executive Director of GREDO.

With humanitarian requirements intensifying amid dwindling available resources, Somalia approaches a dangerous threshold. The spreading Emergency (IPC 4) conditions indicate not only worsening deprivation but the tangible danger of avoidable mortality. The coming months will be critical, necessitating swift measures to prevent further decline and safeguard the most at-risk populations.

“We appeal to traditional donors, Gulf states, philanthropic organizations, and private enterprise to act immediately and mobilize resources,” urged Ms. Hassan. “Each day of inaction moves vulnerable communities closer to the precipice. Somalia cannot address this crisis without external support. The time for global solidarity has arrived,” Nimo concluded.