Somalia is currently gripping a profound hunger crisis, driven by a volatile combination of shrinking aid funding, the lingering effects of prolonged drought, and soaring basic goods and fuel prices. This emergency is putting immense strain on local health infrastructure and threatening the lives of vulnerable children across the country.
The scale of the crisis is sharply visible at the ICRC-supported stabilization centre in Kismayo General Hospital, located in southern Somalia. During the first half of the year, the facility recorded a staggering 41% increase in child admissions compared to the same period last year. Every single child admitted was suffering from acute malnutrition.
With rural health clinics remaining scarce or forced to close due to recent aid cuts, families are often forced to travel immense distances under severe hardships to secure life-saving treatment.
Among those affected is Sabirin, a widowed mother from a remote area, whose toddler, Hassan, fell victim to severe malnutrition, stomatitis, marasmus, and pneumonia. Realizing her son’s condition was life-threatening, Sabirin faced the daunting reality of high transport costs and roads clogged thick with mud from recent rains.
“He was swollen, and his skin was cracking all over. I didn’t have money for transport, so contributions were made. I got in the car, and we spent days on the road. It had rained, making the road impassable. We got here on the third night, around evening,” Sabirin recalled. Fortunately, Hassan is now showing signs of recovery.
Similarly, a mother named Hawa undertook an arduous 60-kilometre journey to reach Kismayo General Hospital, the only facility in the region equipped to deliver critical pediatric care. After saving for weeks to afford a $30 taxi fare while her daughter Nasro’s health deteriorated by the hour, Hawa arrived just in time. Nasro was immediately rushed to the intensive care unit and is now stabilizing.
The humanitarian situation is further exacerbated by skyrocketing inflation. Ongoing conflicts, particularly impacting regional shipping routes, have driven fuel prices to double in recent months.
Ali Isse, a trader in Jamaame market in Kismayo, detailed the widespread economic fallout: “Everything in the world depends on fuel. Before the conflict, five litres of fuel sold for $3.80. This morning, five litres were going for $8.50… Almost 95 per cent of everything has been affected. A sack of potatoes used to cost $45, but today it’s $80. That’s a $35 increase, all because of the ongoing conflict.”
As the cost of living and healthcare needs skyrocket, humanitarian support is moving in the opposite direction. Funding cuts have led to devastating disruptions in healthcare access, nutritional programs, and broader food assistance, leaving women and children bearing the heaviest burden.
In response to the escalating emergency, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has recently expanded its support for Somali Red Crescent nutrition clinics from 10 to 22 facilities. However, humanitarian leaders stress that the scale of the need far outstrips available resources.
“We’re seeing the combined impact of rising fuel and food costs, the lingering consequences of drought which have disrupted livelihoods, and reductions in aid funding just as families in Somalia need that help the most,” said Antoine Grand, head of the ICRC in Somalia. “We are working with our partners… to provide healthcare services across the country, but more work is needed.”
Although Somalia remains the ICRC’s third-largest operation in Africa with an allocated budget of $80 million, officials warn that without urgent and sustained financial support relative to the depth of the crisis, more lives will be lost and years of progress in community resilience will be reversed.
