Overview
- The World Food Programme says it now has roughly one‑tenth of the funds it held in 2022 and can only provide minimal nutrition support as about six million people face acute food insecurity.
- UNICEF warned on Friday that nearly 1.9 million children in Somalia are projected to be malnourished this year, including almost 500,000 who will likely need urgent treatment for severe acute malnutrition.
- More than 200 health and nutrition facilities have already shut and up to 618 more could close under worst‑case funding scenarios, forcing families to travel farther and delaying care that prevents avoidable deaths.
- Humanitarian groups report sharp funding cuts for malnutrition programmes, with some donor governments pausing support, MSF saying funding fell by more than 80% in parts of Somalia and the country excluded from a recent U.S. $2 billion pledge.
- The crisis is driven by severe drought, protracted conflict, mass displacement and rising food and fuel costs, and the loss of proven community nutrition services threatens to reverse past gains and raise long‑term child mortality and recovery costs.