Somalia Faces Escalating Health and Nutrition Crisis

Somalia Faces Escalating Health and Nutrition Crisis

Somalia is grappling with a worsening health and nutrition emergency as consecutive failed rainy seasons, skyrocketing water prices, and cuts to humanitarian aid drive rising malnutrition and outbreaks of preventable diseases, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

MSF reported that their teams in Somalia have observed “a worrying trend,” with increasing numbers of children arriving at overcrowded displacement camps suffering from severe acute malnutrition, measles, diphtheria, and acute watery diarrhoea.

“Allara Ali, MSF’s project coordinator in Somalia, stated: ‘Children are arriving at our hospitals in critical condition, often after days without food or water.’”

The Somali government declared a drought emergency in November, but humanitarian agencies say the response has been slow, with funding at its lowest level in a decade.

Ranked among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, Somalia has experienced repeated droughts and floods. UN assessments indicate that by the end of 2025, 4.4 million people could face crisis-level or worse food shortages, including 1.85 million children under five at risk of severe malnutrition.

Over 3.3 million people have been displaced, with many crowded into camps in Baidoa and Mudug. Meanwhile, aid provision has declined: over 200 health and nutrition facilities have closed since early 2025, and food assistance has dropped from reaching 1.1 million people per month to just 350,000.

Rising water costs are adding to the crisis. A 200-litre barrel of water sells for $2.50–$4, often out of reach for families in displacement camps. Kaltuma Kerow, a mother in Baidoa, said: “We are extremely short of food and water, and diseases are a real threat.”

MSF has launched emergency water trucking in Baidoa, delivering over 6 million litres of safe drinking water to 17 sites, alongside water bladders and solar lighting installations.

Elshafie Mohamed, MSF’s country representative in Somalia, said: “This situation is unacceptable because it is predictable and largely preventable. The current humanitarian response leaves millions without basic healthcare, food, or water.”

MSF urges donors and authorities to urgently scale up nutrition programs, vaccination campaigns, and water services, while investing in climate-resilient infrastructure and sustained healthcare support. Without a coordinated multisector response, deaths from preventable causes are expected to rise in the coming months.