Nairobi: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced a drastic reduction in its emergency food assistance in Somalia, slashing support by two-thirds due to critical funding shortages.
In a statement released today, WFP said it will be able to assist only 350,000 people in Somalia next month, a sharp drop from the 1.1 million people it supported with emergency food aid in August.
The agency warned that this means it can now reach just one in every ten people who are in urgent need of food assistance to survive.
WFP attributed the cuts to the combined impacts of prolonged drought, ongoing conflict, and a sharp decline in humanitarian funding - all of which have pushed the most vulnerable Somali families to emergency levels of food insecurity in 2025.
The agency stated it requires an urgent USD 98 million in funding to sustain life-saving assistance for 800,000 people during the upcoming dry season, which extends through March 2026.
Ross Smith, WFP's Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response, sounded the alarm: "We are witnessing a dangerous rise in emergency hunger levels, and our ability to respond is shrinking by the day." He stressed that without immediate funding, families already pushed to the brink will be left with nothing at a time when they need help the most.
