Millions of people in Somalia are again going hungry but what is driving recurrent food insecurity in the Horn of Africa?
NAIROBI - Nearly one in five people are going hungry in Somalia largely due to a drought, the latest in a series of hunger crisis to have plagued the country in recent decades, said the world's main hunger monitor.
Here is what you need to know:
What is happening in Somalia?
Some 3.4 million people are facing acute food insecurity mainly due to a drought affecting the central and northern parts of the country, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said in a report in February, predicting that number would surge to 4.4 million by June.
Somalia has a population of more than 19 million.
The Somali government and the United Nations have warned that without adequate funding, the country may be pushed to the brink of famine as it was in 2022, when some 43,000 people died of hunger-related diseases, according to a U.N. study.
The United Nations said international donors had only provided 12.4% of the $1.42 billion it estimates is needed to respond to the crisis in Somalia as of March 11.
Acute food insecurity is when people are unable to meet their dietary needs and face hunger and malnutrition, leading to increased risk of disease, stunted growth in children and, in extreme cases, starvation and death, according to aid workers.
Why does Somalia face recurrent hunger crises?
Somalia has faced recurrent hunger crises in recent years due to the effects of climate change, ongoing armed conflict in the country, and spiralling food prices.
Somalia, which the World Bank considers to be among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, has experienced more frequent, severe, and prolonged droughts in recent decades, as well as floods.
Somalia's average annual mean temperature has risen by almost 2 degrees Celsius since 1950, and is seen rising further in the coming years, according to World Bank data.
The recurring disasters have devastated large swathes of crops and killed livestock - both of which make up the backbone of the economy.
Decades of conflict and insecurity have also contributed to food shortages over the years by making it unsafe for people to farm, and restricting people's access to aid and markets. Armed factions, including the Islamist al Shabaab group, control large parts of Somalia.
Soaring food prices have also contributed to hunger as half of the population lives below the poverty line and cannot afford to buy food. Food prices have spiralled as Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 disrupted global food supplies. Before the war, Somalia imported 90% of its wheat from Russia and Ukraine.
What needs to be done to stop these crises from recurring?
Etienne Peterschmitt, the country head for the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Somalia, said efforts should address underlying drivers of vulnerability, as well as focusing on life-saving support.
"Floods and droughts every other year, or both in the same year, are part of a new reality," Peterschmitt told Context.
"We cannot stop them, but we can help populations adapt to this new normal by investing in climate-resilient infrastructure and introducing new ways of doing things that allow people to thrive despite shocks."
Last month, FAO launched a seven-year project to boost climate resilience in Somalia. This includes disseminating timely climate information to communities, improving water access for agro-pastoralists, and restoring land destroyed by disasters.
What impact will the U.S. aid cuts have?
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided $970 million to Somalia in 2023 - 90% of which was used to provide emergency humanitarian assistance, according to the latest U.S. government data.
But since taking office on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump has moved to dismantle USAID by firing thousands of staff and stopping the disbursement of billions of dollars of aid pledged to some of the world's poorest countries.
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Aid workers said termination of USAID programmes will have a devastating effect in Somalia where such programmes fund vital food rations.
For example, USAID was supporting a Save the Children programme providing cash assistance to poor families, but since the aid cuts, households have been driven back into hunger.
"Without this support, we cannot afford to pay for our children's education, and putting food on the table has become difficult once again," said Amina, who only gave her first name, in a statement provided by Save the Children.
The mother of nine had been receiving $90 a month for food and education in Lughaya, in the breakaway Somaliland region, before the pause in U.S. foreign aid.
"My husband tries his best - he takes care of our goats and fetches water - but finding a job here is almost impossible. The drought has made things worse, and our livestock is decreasing," she said.
(Reporting by Nita Bhalla; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa.)
