Lives On the Line: Drought and funding gaps deepen Somalia’s malnutrition crisis

hronic funding shortfalls have crippled humanitarian efforts, forcing vital nutrition programs to scale back or close. The looming threat of a La Niña-driven drought in 2025 could push an already vulnerable population to the brink. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is urgently calling on donors and humanitarian organisations to take immediate action to prevent widespread suffering, as the consequences could be catastrophic.

A father’s last hope to save his children

Kalimow Mohamed Nur n'avait pas d'autres choix que de tenter le tout pour le tout. Avec ses jumeaux affaiblis par la faim, leurs petits corps fragilisés par des épisodes répétés de vomissements et de diarrhée, il a emprunté juste de quoi financer un jour de voyage — un montant qu'il mettrait des mois à gagner — et s'est lancé dans un périple éprouvant vers Baidoa. La route était longue, la chaleur implacable, mais la promesse de soins médicaux gratuits à l'hôpital régional de Bay représentait son dernier espoir.

Kalimow Mohamed Nur had no choice but to take a desperate gamble. With his twin sons weak from hunger, their tiny bodies frail from repeated bouts of vomiting and diarrhoea, he borrowed enough money for a single day’s journey—an amount he would take months to earn—and set out on a gruelling trip to Baidoa. The road was long, the heat relentless, but the promise of free medical care at Bay Regional Hospital was his last hope.

Kalimow’s story—marked by poverty, distance, and the absence of local services—echoes the harsh realities that prevent countless families from accessing care. In Somalia, life-saving treatment has turned into a privilege accessible to only a few.

Malnutrition has become a year-round crisis in parts of Somalia

In Baidoa and Mudug, malnutrition has become a persistent, year-round crisis, not a seasonal challenge. “We’re seeing high malnutrition rates, not just during the usual lean seasons,” says Jarmilla Kliescikova, MSF’s medical coordinator in Somalia. 

This is a chronic crisis that demands sustained intervention.”

In 2024, MSF teams treated 18,066 severely acute malnourished children across its projects in Somalia, a significant increase from the previous year. In Mudug, admissions to outpatient nutrition programs surged by 250 per cent, driven by both rising need and expanded outreach efforts. Baidoa also saw a rise throughout 2024 in admissions, underscoring the growing desperation of families seeking care. Yet, these efforts barely scratch the surface. 

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), an estimated 1.7 million children faced acute malnutrition in 2024, including 430,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition. 

MSF’s interventions, while critical, reached only about one per cent of the total malnourished population, highlighting the overwhelming vast scale of the crisis and the pressing need for broader support.

Conflicts and climate change have driven massive displacement, forcing people into regions with already scarce resources. Repeated droughts have devastated agriculture, leaving families who once depended on farming and livestock unable to sustain themselves. In the displacement sites, the prevalence of severe and moderate malnutrition is alarmingly high, while overstretched health centres struggle to cope.

Funding gaps are forcing critical programs to scale down

Adding to the crisis, funding shortages have dealt a devastating blow to the humanitarian response. According to UNOCHA, only 56 per cent of Somalia’s humanitarian funding needs were met in 2022—a figure that plummeted to just 40 per cent by 2024. In Baidoa for example, several nutrition programs have scaled down since 2023, and across both regions, essential services like therapeutic feeding centres and primary healthcare are being reduced or discontinued.

“The closure of these programs has left a devastating gap,” says Mohammed Ali Omer, MSF’s Head of Programs in Somalia. 

Children in desperate need of life-saving therapeutic food are being turned away. And only a few communities benefit from vaccinations leaving them vulnerable to preventable diseases leading to vicious cycle of malnutrition. This is not just a crisis—it’s a catastrophe unfolding in real time.”

A looming crisis that the world still has a chance to prevent

As Somalia struggles with ongoing dry spells, an even greater threat looms on the horizon: a La Niña-driven drought expected in 2025. La Niña is a climate phenomenon that cools ocean surface temperatures and disrupts global weather patterns, often leading to reduced rainfall in East Africa. With water sources depleted, and food production crippled by previous droughts, the impact could be catastrophic forcing more families from their homes and driving malnutrition rates even higher. As droughts become more frequent and severe, the window for recovery shrinks, while soaring food prices push survival further out of reach for the most vulnerable.

Without immediate and sustained support, thousands of children face not only starvation but also weakened immunity, increased vulnerability to diseases, and irreversible developmental harm. The healthcare system, already struggling under relentless demand, risks total collapse as outbreaks and complications surge. MSF urgently calls on donors and governments to act now—before the 2025 drought strikes. There is an urgent need to scale up nutrition treatment, expand food distribution, and strengthen healthcare services to save lives while there is still time.

“Humanitarian assistance in Somalia is already dangerously low, and now, with reports of further funding cuts—including reductions in U.S. support—the situation will only worsen, putting more lives at risk,” says Mohammed Ali Omer. 

“The cuts to the nutrition programmes are coming at the worst possible time. Malnutrition rates are soaring, displacement is rising, and the need for aid has never been greater. Reducing support now is not just irresponsible—it’s deadly."

The time to act is now. For the children of Baidoa and Mudug, every moment counts in giving them a chance to survive.”