The Somalia crisis deepens as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) raises the alarm over an escalating food emergency. Over 6.5 million people now face severe food insecurity, with prolonged droughts devastating livelihoods across the country.
Collapse of pastoralism fuels hunger crisis
Two consecutive seasons of failed rains have pushed the nation back toward the famine conditions seen in 2022. Pastoralism, the backbone of Somalia’s economy and income source for more than 60% of the population, is collapsing. Mass livestock losses are stripping families of food and income, forcing thousands to flee to displacement camps.
A 61-year-old herder in Dhusamareb lost 90% of his goats and two-thirds of his camels in under a year. « I fear the people will suffer the same fate as my animals, » he says. In the Nugal region, a 19-year-old mother fled after her herd perished, desperate to protect her children.
Mass displacement strains aid efforts
More than half a million people have been displaced in 2025, driven by conflict and drought, particularly in the Al-Miskat hills of Bari in Puntland. Shrinking humanitarian funding is forcing aid groups to cut food, water, and healthcare programs just as needs surge.
Since November 2025, the ICRC has supported over 5,000 displaced families, rehabilitating boreholes in Bari and Sanaag, supplying equipment to restore wells, and treating severely malnourished children at the Kismayo stabilization center. The organization also backs 11 clinics run by the Somali Red Crescent.
A red alert for millions
« Without urgent rains and a significant boost in humanitarian aid, millions of people may slide deeper into food crisis, » warns the ICRC. Somalia stands at a critical juncture—every passing day raises the risk of a full-scale humanitarian disaster.
