Millions of people across Somalia face crisis levels of hunger, with nearly a half-million children at risk of severe acute malnutrition, as aid funding from the United States dramatically drops and private actors quadruple prices for essential resources during a devastating drought.
Abdi Ahmed Farah, a 70-year-old pastoralist in Puntland, has seen hundreds of his 680 goats die over the three years without steady rain. He is now in debt from buying water, and his family subsists on one meal a day of rice with sugar and oil. Farah, whose youngest of 22 children was born three weeks ago, stated, “I have considered abandoning my family because I cannot provide for them.”
The current crisis is compounded by significant aid cuts, most notably by the Trump administration, which led to a drop in overall aid funding to Somalia from $2.38 billion in 2022 to $531 million in 2025. The United States had been Somalia’s top donor, and this withdrawal of capital directly impacts the survival of the Somali working class.
Rising prices from the Iran war further exacerbate the situation, as Somalia imports 70% of its food and most of its fuel from the Middle East. This global market volatility directly translates into increased costs for basic necessities for the Somali working class and dispossessed, demonstrating how geopolitical conflicts serve capital accumulation while devastating the poor.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reported that production of staple crops like maize and sorghum during the October-December rainy season was the lowest on record in Somalia. This collapse in local production forces reliance on expensive imports, further entrenching the population in a cycle of debt bondage and dependency.
Hameed Nuru, the U.N. World Food Program director for Somalia, stated, “2026 is the worst year on record for Somalia in terms of drought. Children have started dying.”
The Somali government and the United Nations estimated in February 2026 that 6.5 million people faced crisis levels of hunger, representing a third of the country’s population and a 25% increase since January. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification report released on Thursday, May 14, 2026, indicates 6 million Somalis currently face food insecurity, a figure higher than the projected 5.5 million from the February 2026 report.
Who Profits from Crisis
In Usgure, a village home to 700 families, private water trucks have quadrupled their prices, while the cost of a 50-kilogram bag of flour has increased by a third, reaching $40. This direct surplus extraction from a population in dire need highlights how capital exploits scarcity for profit.
Community leader Abshir Hirsi Ali reported that Usgure’s local economy has collapsed, with shops closing and food rations running low, due to its reliance on pastoralists like Farah. Desperate families drank dirty rainwater, leading to a high number of people with fever.
Muhubo Tahir Omar, a 47-year-old mother of 11, sold her goats to pay for school fees, but teachers left when payments ceased. Her last goat is now sick, illustrating the systemic breakdown of social services when the working class is stripped of its assets.
Decades of conflict have displaced millions in Somalia, with the current drought displacing another 200,000 people this year. Kevin Mackey, Somalia director for World Vision, noted, “People are on the move … and when people move, people die.”
Shukri, a 20-year-old mother of four in a displacement camp, reported her children developed diarrhea from dirty water and their malnourishment worsened. She stated, “I know a few people who have died.”
The State's Role in Crisis
Antoine Grand, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Somalia, warned, “Unless there is a sudden and substantial response from donors, the outlook is deeply concerning.” He noted that a drought of similar severity in 2022 received a response five times greater than current levels, exposing the inadequacy of current reform efforts.
The U.N. World Food Program intended to provide food aid to 2 million people this year but has only reached 300,000 due to these funding gaps. This demonstrates the inherent fragility and inadequacy of aid-based solutions within a system that prioritizes capital accumulation and geopolitical maneuvering over human life.
At the hospital in Qardho, therapeutic milk for severely malnourished children is rarely in stock, forcing nurses to use homemade alternatives like cow’s milk. Director Shamis Abdirahman expects more children as displaced people arrive, including 4-year-old Farhia, who weighs 7.5 kilograms after her family lost all their goats and fled.
Farhia’s mother, Najma, stated, “I don’t know what to hope for, or see how we can get back to what we had,” reflecting the profound despair inflicted by systemic failures that prioritize profit and power over the lives of the dispossessed.