On 10 November, the Federal Government of Somalia officially declared a state of drought emergency and appealed for urgent international assistance as the situation continued to deteriorate in the northern, central and southern regions, according to to the UN relief coordination office, OCHA.
Puntland is among the worst-hit regions, where authorities estimate nearly a million people are in need of assistance, including 130,000 whose lives are in immediate danger.
A UN assessment mission to the Bari and Nugaal regions earlier this month found communities are grappling with severe water and food shortages, with residents warning that disaster could strike in the coming months.
“We haven’t received any rain since last year; this is the worst drought in years,” said Abdiqani Osman Omar, mayor of Shaxda village in the Bari region.
“Hundreds of displaced families moved here three months ago, and more are arriving. The new arrivals are mostly women and children, while the men have moved to neighboring Ethiopia in search of pasture and water.”
The village does not have the capacity to support them, he added, saying even host communities need water and food aid.
Dried up water sources, abandoned settlements
Throughout Puntland, waterholes have dried up, vegetation has withered, and formerly inhabited pastoral settlements are now abandoned.
In the town of Dhaxan, where brief downpours during the Gu season (April-June) offered short-lived hope earlier this year, residents now rely on expensive water trucked in after the local borehole was found to be contaminated.
Jama community leader Abshir Hersi said about 150 families moved to the town after the rains.
“Previously, we received food and nutritional aid, as well as medical supplies for our health unit. All that aid has diminished,” he said.
Financing gaps
Funding gaps are making the crisis worse.
As of November 23, Somalia Humanitarian Response Plan 2025 was only 23.7 percent funded, leading to significant aid reductions. 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 supplementary feeding sites and 198 health and stabilization centers are facing serious supply shortages.
Millions of people are hungry
The drought is developing in an already disastrous humanitarian context. At least 4.4 million people are expected to face acute food insecurity until December, while 1.85 million children under five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition until mid-2026.
Weather forecasts indicate little immediate relief. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned Dry and hot conditions are expected to persist across most of the country, particularly in central and northern regions.
“High temperatures and low precipitation are likely to exacerbate water stress and limit pasture regeneration in most areas. » the agency said.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
