Humanitarian Aid Cuts in Somalia Threaten Millions of Children with Hunger
Cuts in humanitarian aid have forced closure of health facilities in Somalia, leaving nearly one million children and women vulnerable to severe malnutrition.
By John Mtongoi Newsroom
August 22, 2026
2 min read
Somalia is grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis as drastic reductions in aid funding have forced the shutdown of over 200 health and nutrition centres, with projections estimating closures could rise to 618. This has left nearly one million children under five, adolescent girls, and women at risk of losing access to vital nutrition services.
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder highlighted the dire consequences, noting a 32% increase in children admitted to stabilization centres with severe acute malnutrition compared to last year. The rise is attributed not to an increase in illness but to the loss of preventive community-based nutrition programs.
Many families, like that of Hajio who lost all her cattle to drought, have been displaced and struggle to find adequate support. After relocating to Burhakaba town in southwest Somalia, Hajio received only minimal aid from local communities, with no assistance from international organizations.
Compounding Crises
Somalia is currently contending with multiple overlapping challenges:
- Decades of civil conflict causing mass displacement and food insecurity.
- Severe droughts in northern regions.
- Impending extreme flooding linked to an intensified El Niño weather pattern.
- Global economic pressures from the US-Iran conflict increasing fuel and fertilizer costs.
These factors are intensifying hunger and malnutrition just as funding for humanitarian programs is being cut, creating a brutal contradiction that jeopardizes children’s survival and development.
Urgent Need for Funding
UNICEF has been instrumental in delivering cholera vaccinations to over a million people, supporting education for more than 100,000 children, and rehabilitating former child soldiers. However, Elder emphasized that the critical gap is funding, warning that years of progress are being rapidly undone.
Between 2021 and 2025, UNICEF treated over 2.25 million children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with a cure rate of 97.6%, achievements now at risk due to the funding shortfall.
"Protecting children is not a discretionary expense," Elder stated. "Dismantling effective aid at the moment of greatest need is not a saving; it is a decision that will cost more in lives, security, and development in the future."
