Somalia is in the grip of its worst drought in living memory, with four consecutive failed rainy seasons since 2020 affecting 4.1 million people and displacing more than one million. Forecasts suggest the October‑December deyr rains will also underperform, pushing the country toward an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. Combined with conflict, global food price spikes, and the lingering effects of COVID‑19, the crisis is devastating rural livelihoods. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has made drought response a top priority, appointing Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame as Special Envoy to coordinate relief efforts and raise global awareness. His advocacy has secured $1.5 billion in aid pledges, but this is less than half of the $3.9 billion the UN says is needed. Meanwhile, over seven million Somalis face acute food insecurity, with famine expected in 17 districts without urgent intervention. Women and children make up over 80% of those displaced, many living in overcrowded, unsanitary IDP camps. Malnutrition and disease are rising sharply. The government has formed a new National Disaster Management Committee to coordinate aid delivery, but donor fatigue and logistical challenges threaten progress.
In early 2022, Somalia entered a deepening crisis fueled by multiple shocks: a fourth consecutive below average rainy season, the Ukraine war’s disruption of food and fuel supplies, and ongoing political paralysis. The Gu rains, vital for 75% of Somalia’s annual rainfall, are delayed and forecasts predict significant deficits, threatening agriculture and pastoral livelihoods. Already, 4.9 million people are affected, 719,000 displaced, and 1.4 million children face acute malnutrition. Somalia’s dependence on wheat imports from Ukraine over 90% compounds the crisis as global grain supplies tighten and prices soar. The UN warns famine could hit parts of southern and central Somalia if rains fail, prices rise further, and humanitarian aid remains inadequate. Despite the looming catastrophe, Somalia’s political elite remain consumed by protracted elections, diverting attention from emergency response. The 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan seeks $1.5 billion, but only 4.4% is funded. Experts urge a unified, state-led drought response to galvanize donor support and avert a repeat of the 2011 famine that killed 260,000 people.