Somalia Malnutrition Funding Falls Over 80%

Somalia’s response to acute malnutrition has been severely affected by an over 80% drop in funding, even as child hunger continues to worsen, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Tuesday.

MSF said it had admitted 22,000 people for malnutrition treatment this year, more than 80% above the number recorded during the same period last year.

A July survey of 888 households across 14 displacement sites in Baidoa found that one in four children was severely malnourished. One-third of the families surveyed said they survived on one meal a day, while only 2% reported being able to afford three meals.

MSF Health Adviser Mitchell Sangma said US funding for aid agencies working in Somalia had fallen from $70 million last year to zero this year. He added that other Western donors had also reduced their contributions.

The hunger crisis has been worsened by repeated failed rainy seasons, which have damaged crops, killed livestock and reduced water supplies. Conflict and insecurity have further disrupted livelihoods and limited access to food, healthcare and humanitarian assistance.

MSF said it had screened more than 21,000 children under five in Baidoa since January and recorded acute malnutrition rates of about 50%. The organisation has tripled the number of beds at its Baidoa facility to 150 to accommodate more severely malnourished patients.

The United Nations said more than 500,000 people were displaced in Somalia during the first three months of 2026, with drought responsible for almost all the displacement. MSF said available donor funding had fallen to about $300 million from $2.2 billion in 2022.

SOURCE: Reuters