International donor funding to treat acute malnutrition in parts of Somalia has crashed by over 80% this year, creating a severe humanitarian deficit as acute child hunger surges across vulnerable regions.
Humanitarian medical group Médecins Sans Frontières warned on Tuesday that available donor assistance for Somalia plummeted to approximately $300 million this year, down sharply from $2.2 billion provided during the 2022 drought.
The aid contraction includes a complete withdrawal of support from major Western partners. The United States eliminated its $70 million annual allocation to humanitarian agencies operating in the country to zero this year.
Medical operational metrics reflect a dramatic surge in clinical demand. Medical teams have admitted 22,000 malnutrition cases so far this year, marking an 80% surge compared to the same period last year.
The crisis is acute in displacement centers in southwest Somalia. A July survey across 14 camps in Baidoa revealed one in four children suffers from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition.
Household financial conditions inside the Baidoa camps show severe stress. One-third of surveyed families report eating just one meal daily, while only 2% can afford three meals amid surging food prices.
Wider clinical screening of over 21,000 children under five years in Baidoa indicated overall acute malnutrition rates reaching nearly 50%, far surpassing emergency international humanitarian thresholds.
The supply shortage coincides with expanding internal movement. United Nations figures show drought displaced over 500,000 people in early 2026, with women and children constituting 85% of those seeking shelter.
Climatological pressures and ongoing security disruptions have severely constrained agricultural output. Consecutive failed rainy seasons decimated regional livestock populations and depleted critical water infrastructure, deepening economic vulnerability.
