Puntland is among the hardest-hit areas, with authorities estimating that nearly a million people need support, 130,000 of whom are in immediate life-threatening need.
A UN assessment mission to the Bari and Nugaal regions was found earlier this month communities are struggling with acute water and food shortages, with residents warning that a catastrophe could unfold in the coming months.
“We haven’t had any rain since last year; this is the worst drought in years,” said Abdiqani Osman Omar, mayor of the village of Shaxda in the Bari region.
“Three months ago, hundreds of displaced families moved here, and more are coming. The newcomers are mainly women and children, while the men have moved to nearby Ethiopia in search of pasture and water.”
The village has no capacity to support them, he added, stating that even host communities need water and food assistance.
Dried up water sources, abandoned settlements
By Puntland, water points have dried up, vegetation has withered and once inhabited pastoral settlements now stand abandoned.
In Dhaxan town, where brief rains (April-June) offered brief hope earlier this year, residents are now dependent on expensive truck water after the local borehole was found to be contaminated.
Community leader Jama Abshir Hersi said about 150 families moved to the town after the rains.
“We used to get assistance with food and nutrition, and medical supplies for our health department. All that assistance has decreased,” he said.
Funding shortfalls
Financing shortages are worsening the crisis.
From November 23, Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan 2025 was only 23.7 percent financed, meaning that aid had to be cut back sharply. The number of people receiving emergency food aid fell from 1.1 million in August to just 350,000 this month.
In Puntland alone, 89 complementary feeding sites and 198 health and stabilization centers are facing serious supply shortages.
Millions are going hungry
The drought occurs in an already dire humanitarian landscape. At least 4.4 million people are expected to face acute food insecurity through December, while 1.85 million children under the age of five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition through mid-2026.
Weather forecasts indicate little immediate relief. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that dry and hot conditions are expected to persist over most of the country, especially in the central and northern regions.
“The prevailing high temperatures and poor rainfall are likely to exacerbate water stress and limit pasture regeneration in most areas,” the agency said.
#Somalia #declares #drought #crisis #millions #people #hungry #failed #rains