Mogadishu, Somalia – Somalia is on the brink of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe as escalating climate shocks compound the effects of conflict and disease, a new report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned yesterday. The assessment, drawing on data from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), reveals that 4.4 million people are now facing acute food insecurity — a stark reminder of how climate change is tightening its grip on one of the world’s most vulnerable nations.

Erratic and below-average rainfall across key agricultural regions has devastated crop yields and dried up vital water sources, leaving pastoral communities without pasture for their livestock. The cyclical swings between drought and flash floods — now occurring with increasing frequency due to global warming — have eroded traditional coping mechanisms and displaced thousands from their homes.

Children are bearing the brunt of the crisis. More than 420,000 under the age of five are at risk of severe malnutrition, with health facilities reporting rising cases of measles, cholera and other preventable diseases linked to unsafe water and overcrowded displacement camps.

Conflict between government forces and extremist groups further hinders access to humanitarian aid, trapping families in hard-to-reach areas where relief workers struggle to operate safely. Aid officials warn that without urgent climate adaptation investment and sustained international funding, famine-like conditions could return to parts of the country within months.

The report calls for a shift from reactive emergency response to long-term resilience strategies — including water infrastructure, climate-smart agriculture and community-led peacebuilding — if Somalia is to stand any chance of breaking free from the vicious cycle of crisis.